In a major move, Lausanne based Almatech and Tokyo’s e5.lab Inc just setup partnership to promote and market revolutionary zero-emission maritime shuttle ZESST on the Japanese market. The cooperation agreement was signed on May 19th at EPFL Innovation Park and simultaneously at the Swiss Embassy in Tokyo linked by videoconferencing.
ZESST is a Zero Emission Speed ShutTle for public transport using waterways. As Hervé Cottard, Almatech’s cofounder and CEO explains ZESST combines several cutting edge technologies as: Hydrogen fuel cells, high density batteries, super light cabine and hull structures and retractable foils fitted with ultra-compact torpedo-like electrical motors equipped with optimized propellers. The objective is to reduce by a factor 5 the ratio energy/passenger/km.
Japan is a key market for ZESST: an archipelago of 6’850 isles, a high tech society very open to innovation, a fantastic push on hydrogen, and a trend setter for entering the Asian market explains the enthusiastic CEO to Startupticker.ch. The Swiss company sees EXPO OSAKA 2025 as the perfect showcase for its innovative shuttle. Furthermore, maritime transport is one the sectors that need to reduce GHG emissions on a global level. Many countries, especially Japan, a maritime country surrounded by oceans on all sides, have become aware of the need to act quickly and concretely in this area for climate protection. Hervé Cottard welcomes “a major step forward for ZESST that has convinced, with its numerous assets, partners as important as e5.lab”.
E5.lab Inc is a Japanese joint venture consisting of Asahi Tanker, Exeno, MOL and Mitsubishi. Established in 2019, e5.lab aims to deliver ‘e-value’ in 5 areas: electrification, environment, evolution, efficiency and economics with the objectives to address and solve the key challenges that shipping and the Japanese industry in general will face in the near future.
Addressing future challenges
Almatech will not produce ZESST for itself except for the Swiss market that is very small. The company will make local joint ventures wherever its future customer will be operating its Shuttle. The CEO adds “We indeed need to manufacture the shuttle on site to avoid logistic nightmares, we need local naval architect for local certification and local shipyards.” ZESST is designed today for 100 passengers but it can be derived from 5 to 400 passengers. It could be used for fret from 500 kg to 40 tons depending on the version but of course this is interesting only for ‘light fret’ that need to be transported fast.
The next challenge is to get funds that fit Almatech’s development and profile. The development of the 100 passengers shuttle budget is about CHF 15 Mio says the CEO. The fabrication and certification of this 100 passengers will be CHF 15 Mio in addition. The team is therefore looking for CHF 30 Mio either from investors or from the first customer to launch the first Shuttle that will be ready in 2025. The serial shuttle for the 100 passengers version will be of course cheaper. For the other versions, the budgets are under calculation. The company receives already a lot of demands for 5 passengers up to 400 passengers Shuttles.
Almatech is a Space and Naval Engineering company of about 30 employees, 90% engineers, 40% PhD founded in 2009 and located on the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne. The founders are 6 private people that includes the CEO and the CTO Luc Blecha. After 12 years, the founders of the innovative venture still hold 92% of the shares.
(ES)
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