Route du Rhum 2010: Thomas Ruyant, 'Destination Dunkerque', wins transatlantic sailing regatta with EFOY fuel cell on board

  • French sailing professional and transatlantic regatta winner in Division Class 40 relies on reliable, lightweight and silent on-board power supply with EFOY fuel cell
  • Thomas Ruyant, 'Destination Dunkerque': 'EFOY provided crucial performance benefits during the regatta'

Brunnthal/Munich, Germany, December 2, 2010 – Thomas Ruyant and his yacht 'Destination Dunkerque', equipped with an EFOY 2200 fuel cell to supply on board power, has won the Route du Rhum 2010 in Division Class 40. This legendary single-handed transatlantic sailing regatta is held every four years, and runs 3,540 nautical miles (approx. 6,500 kilometres) from the French port of Saint-Malo to Pointe-à-Pitre on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The professional French sailor completed it in 17 days, 23 hours, 10 minutes and 17 seconds. In his 40-foot (12-metre) boat, the light EFOY fuel cell provided reliable and weather-independent power on board around the clock during the whole regatta across the rough Atlantic. This was a crucial competitive advantage for Thomas Ruyant: “I am totally won over by the EFOY fuel cell,' said Thomas Ruyant, 'Destination Dunkerque'. 'The EFOY is not only an environmentally-friendly but first and foremost a lightweight and reliable energy supply solution on board. It functions even under the most challenging and harsh conditions, as well as when the boat is heeled over. The fuel cell provided continuous power availability for electronics, the autopilot, navigational instruments and other electrical equipment on board. These advantages and the major weight reduction provided an essential performance advance for me during the regatta.'

“We are very pleased for Thomas Ruyant in this splendid win,' said Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy AG. “Our EFOY fuel cells have continually proven themselves in the hardest sailing competitions. This new success again shows that EFOY is the reliable, lightweight and silent power supply solution of choice for the naval and sailing sector.'

With over 19,000 fuel cells sold, the EFOY has been standing for green on-board power in the leisure market for years. As a reliable partner for sailors, the EFOY supplies electrical power around the clock, independent of the weather or season. The fuel cells are lightweight, silent and emission-free. There is no need to run a diesel engine or spend time searching for electricity on land.Power generation on board is completely automatic. EFOY fuel cells are available in five performance classes, with a charging capacity of up to 2.2 kWh per day. The methanol fuel is available across Europe in over 1,500 sales outlets in practical five- and ten-litre EFOY fuel cartridges, letting boat owners take an enormous amount of energy on board at a low weight. A 10-litre EFOY fuel cartridge contains 11.1 kilowatt hours of power - enough energy to independently operate on-board consumers for several weeks.

Visitors to the Salon Nautique in Paris, France, can see the EFOY fuel cell in live operation from December 3-12, 2010 at the booths of Euro Accessoires (hall 2.1, booth B 51), Accastillage Diffusion (hall 2.1, booth D 69) and U-Ship (hall 2.1, booth C 71).

More information is available at www.efoy.com and www.sfc.com.

About SFC Energy AG

SFC Energy AG (www.sfc.com) is market leader in fuel cell technologies for mobile and off-grid power applications serving the leisure, industrial and defense markets. As one of Germany’s technology pioneers, SFC has won numerous innovation awards. SFC has alliances with leading companies in a wide range of industries.Unlike most other fuel cell manufacturers, who are in the research and development phase or run subsidized demonstration projects, SFC has shipped more than 19,000 fully commercial products to industrial and private end users for more than six years, and has created a convenient fuel cartridge supply infrastructure. SFC is DIN ISO 9001:2008 certified. SFC is based in Brunnthal, Germany, and has a sales and technical service office in the U.S. SFC Energy AG is listed in the Prime Standard on the German stock exchange (WKN 756857).

SFC Press Contact:

Claudia von Junker und Bigato

Public Relations

SFC Energy AG

Eugen-Saenger-Ring 7

D-85649 Brunnthal

Tel. +49 89 673 592-377

Fax. +49 89 673 592-169

Email: claudia.junker@sfc.com

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Barbara v. Frankenberg

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SFC Energy AG

Eugen-Saenger-Ring 7

D-85649 Brunnthal

Tel. +49 89 673 592-378

Fax. +49 89 673 592-169

Email: barbara.frankenberg@sfc.com