While sailboats and yachts traditionally dot the Charles River near the MIT Sailing Pavilion, a recent addition stands out for its cutting-edge design. James Worden, an MIT alum and pioneer in solar electric vehicles, returned to his alma mater with Anita, a prototype solar electric boat named in memory of his late wife. Worden, who also founded the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team (SEVT) during his collegiate years, demonstrated the potential of clean energy on water by taking MIT students and community members for rides aboard the vessel.
Anita is no ordinary boat. It's a 20-foot pontoon with dimensions that are just 12 feet wide and 7 feet tall, crafting out of carbon fiber composites, single crystalline solar photovoltaic cells, and lithium iron phosphate battery cells. With his sights set on practical applications such as mini-ferry boats and water taxis, Worden's creation points towards an eco-friendly future for marine transportation. This event provided an opportunity for current SEVT students to engage with and learn firsthand from Worden's experience in solar vehicle design.
A shining example of innovation, Anita attracted attention from those interested in sustainable technologies. "Seeing Anita in all its glory was super cool," Nicole Lin, vice captain of SEVT expressed in an interview with MIT News. She added, fascinated, "When I first saw it, I could immediately map the different parts of the solar car to its marine counterparts, which was astonishing to see how far I’ve come as an engineer with SEVT."
Worden's visit also exemplified a bridge between innovation, education, and mentorship. His longstanding relationship with MIT, beginning with support from Harold “Doc” Edgerton who provided him with lab space as a freshman, through to delivering insights gleaned from a "MIT fire-hose style" hydrodynamics lecture, showcases the intertwined journey of education and application. The drive to inspire and educate remains a core aspect to Worden's engagements at MIT and beyond. "There's a lot of connections," he remarked, reflecting on his ventures and the support that came full circle.
On a broader scale, the development and demonstration of the Anita represent a step forward in the pursuit of environmentally friendly transportation solutions. It underscores the key relationship between universities and innovators in pioneering real-world applications of sustainable technology, setting sails toward a greener horizon for the boating industry.
