The average megayacht burns more than 130 gallons of fuel per hour—and that's when the boat is idling. Needless to say, megayachting is not the most carbon-friendly of billionaire pursuits.
But now, the folks at Feadship have come up with a more green-friendly alternative: the hybrid megayacht.
Feadship, the prestigious Netherlands-based yacht builder, has just launched "Savannah," the world's first true hybrid megayacht. On the outside, the 273-foot ship looks like a typical diesel-guzzler, with five stories, a swimming pool and massive decks.
But a peek under the hood (or hull) reveals a ship with a highly advanced power system. It's got a single diesel engine (instead of the usual two), three diesel-electric generators and a cluster of giant batteries.
The result is a boat that's 30 percent more fuel efficient than comparable vessels of its size. Feadship won't give actual numbers for its fuel consumption. But it said that the power systems, along with the ship's ultra-thin bow and highly advanced propeller design, give it a "cost-effective and cleaner mode of propulsion that can be achieved within an entirely bespoke superyacht."
-- Robert Frank, CNBC
