H2-Watt is a team of multi-disciplinary engineering students from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, bringing together a team of over 25 students. The team works on the ‘Experiment of Leith H2’ project, repurposing an old speedboat hull into a new, fully electric boat. Through the incredible support of our industrial partners and academics at our university, we aim to provide a learning opportunity to the students involved through real hands-on engineering.
Our project is the ‘Experiment of Leith H2’, inspired by the legendary 18th century Scottish catamaran. By repurposing this 30-year-old hull, we aim to make the project as sustainable as possible. Instead of building a new vessel, we are transforming an existing one by converting it to a fully electric propulsion system. The project aims to show that repurposing existing marine structures and electrifying them is a practical path towards low emission marine applications. Alongside this, we are developing a battery recharging system powered by solid-state hydrogen technology, aiming to show the power of new hydrogen tech and pave the way for a greener future in the maritime industry.