Context

Stormcross, a company specialising in breakdown assistance and rescue operations on Lake Neuchâtel, and Prefix are joining forces to launch an innovation project dedicated to improving the safety and performance of on-water interventions.

The project is hosted and supported within Prefix’s Project Incubator, combining methodological rigour, interdisciplinary collaboration, and collective learning.

The Swiss Solar Boat team — from EPFL and renowned for its expertise in solar boat design and sustainable propulsion — will act as a consulting expert, guiding technical decisions and contributing to the feasibility study.

Objective

The project aims to design and develop a prototype of an intervention boat — serving as a towboat, ambulance, and nautical assistance unit — that combines:

• Rapid response capability, adapted to lake and coastal contexts
• Modularity and robustness, for versatile operational use
• Enhanced safety, for both crew and rescued persons
• Ergonomics and comfort, ensuring efficient and sustainable missions
• Energy efficiency and stability, through the integration of innovative technologies (electric propulsion, foils, lightweight design).

Approach

The project will unfold in three main phases:

1. Feasibility study (in progress) — Conducted jointly by Stormcross and Prefix, with input from Swiss Solar Boat. This phase explores various propulsion, stability, and design options, defining possible prototype configurations.
2. Prototype design — Integration of study results, 3D modelling, component selection, and construction of a functional prototype.
3. Testing phase — Field trials on Lake Neuchâtel led by Stormcross to validate performance, safety, stability, and the potential transferability of the concept to other intervention environments.

Join the adventure

As part of the Project Incubator, Prefix opens this initiative to anyone wishing to actively participate in its management as a learning experience.

By joining the project, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to a concrete and stimulating initiative, guided by Prefix and developed in partnership with Stormcross — while discovering the methods and tools of project management in action.

I want to join this project