MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, known under the project name PlanetSolar, is the largest solar-powered boat in the world The vessel was designed by LOMOcean Design, built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel, Germany, and launched on 31 March 2010. In May 2012, it became the first ever solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe. The 31-meter boat is covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels rated 93 kW, which in turn connect to one of the two electric motors in each hull. There are 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries in the ship's two hulls. The boat's shape allows it to reach speeds of up to 14 knots. The hull was model tested in wind tunnels and was tank tested to determine its hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The boat has been designed to be used as a luxury yacht after the record attempt is finished.

People walk along the Dune du Pilat (Dune of Pilat), the tallest sand dune in Europe, in La Teste de Buch, near Bordeaux, France, June 15, 2016. The dune has a volume of about 60,000,000 m³, measuring around 500 m wide from east to west and 2.7 km in length from north to south. Its height is currently 110 meters above sea level. (Photo by Sergio Perez/Reuters)

Aeronautics and Space engineer at France's Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises, or Comex, Arnaud Prost (C) meets with a jogger as he tests on the ground the “Gandolfi 2” underwater training suit for spacewalk, on January 20, 2016 in the calanques region (rocky inlets) of Marseille. The underwater training suit “Gandolfi 2”, developed with the European Space Agency (ESA), is designed for training astronauts underwater to simulate space gravity for the astronaut's extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Photo by Boris Horvat/AFP Photo)

A woman wearing a face mask takes a photo on her phone in Covent Garden, London, Thursday, December 3, 2020. Britain became the first country in the world to authorize a rigorously tested COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday and could be dispensing shots within days – a historic step toward eventually ending the outbreak that has killed more than 1.4 million people around the globe. (Photo by Alberto Pezzali/AP Photo)

An RNLI Lifeboat crashes through waves during a multi-agency exercise to test emergency response, at Camber Sands, East Sussex, England, Thursday, September 28, 2023. The multi-agency exercise, organised by South East Coast Ambulance Service, (SECAmb) also includes Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, Rother District Council, HM Coastguard and RNLI Lifeguards. (Photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Wire via AP Photo)

A women attends a class at a driving school in Kabul August 17, 2014. Kabul is one of the world's fastest growing cities and its streets are increasingly blocked by cars and buses. In the city's private driving schools, students pay a $60 fee for a 45-day course, which includes oral and practical driving tests at the country's Traffic Department. Some of the women who have signed up say learning to drive is a way to escape unwanted gazes and physical harassment on the cramped, crowded minibuses that are often the only method of urban public transport. (Photo by Mohammad Ismail/Reuters)

A bird is cleaned at the International Bird Rescue in Fairfield, California January 20, 2015. A gooey, unknown material discovered on the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay is clinging to the feathers of birds, and more than 100 birds, mostly species of oceangoing, diving ducks, have died after their feathers were fouled by the viscous substance now undergoing testing at state labs in Sacramento. (Photo by Robert Galbraith/Reuters)

A undated handout image provided by the Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Bochum) on 04 October 2013 shows the German team Bochum's Cruiser class solar car during a test drive in the Northern Territoty, Australia, 16 September 2013. The Dutch vehicle is competing in the World Solar Challenge, driving from Darwin to Adelaide starting on 06 October 2013. (Photo by Hochschule Bochum/EPA)