If you have walked through Hyde Park in summer, you may have seen it: a curved, glass-and-steel shell gliding silently across the Serpentine. The Serpentine Solar Shuttle was launched in July 2006 as Britain’s biggest solar-powered boat, carrying visitors from the jetty to the far end of the lake. The photo here is from 2011.
It was designed by Christoph Behling of SolarLab Research & Design in London. Behling had also designed what was then the world’s largest solar boat, in Hamburg. The boat is about 14.6 m (48 ft) long, and its stainless-steel and glass canopy carries 27 solar panels.
The panels feed a battery bank that drives an electric motor. The shuttle cruises at a gentle 5 mph (8 km/h) with up to 42 passengers, and a full battery is good for around 82 miles (130 km), far more than a day of park trips needs. No engine noise, no fumes, no fuel deliveries in the middle of a royal park.
The shuttle is operated by BlueBird Boats. For many Londoners it was the first vehicle powered only by the sun they ever rode.
Technical data
| Designer | Christoph Behling, SolarLab Research & Design (London) |
|---|---|
| Operator | BlueBird Boats, Serpentine, Hyde Park |
| Launched | July 2006, then Britain’s largest solar-powered boat |
| Length | ~14.6 m (48 ft) |
| Solar | 27 roof panels on a stainless-steel and glass canopy |
| Speed | ~5 mph (8 km/h) cruising |
| Range | up to ~82 miles (130 km) on a full battery |
| Passengers | 42 |
Photo (2011): Garry Knight / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Sources: NBC News / AP (2006) · Al Jazeera (2006)