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Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2026: Energy Class – a laboratory for optimising electric and hybrid technologies

  • 10 February 2026
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Organised by the Yacht Club of Monaco and supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, UBS, BMW and SBM Offshore, the 13th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge will take place from 8 to 11 July 2026 in Monaco. This edition will bring together 43 teams from around twenty countries who are all united by a common goal: to accelerate the energy transition of yachting and the maritime sector through real-world experimentation.
A historic pillar of the event, the Energy Class plays a central role in this dynamic. This year, 26 teams will compete using standardised hulls supplied by the Yacht Club of Monaco. This provides a unique framework for comparing different propulsion and energy management solutions under identical conditions. Having now reached a high level of maturity, many projects have moved beyond the demonstration phase into a period of fine optimisation. The development of in-house propulsion systems, improvements in hydrodynamic efficiency, the hybridisation of energy sources, and the integration of advanced energy management systems now structure the teams’ work.
One of the most notable projects is the work of the French team HydroGadz, who are continuing their research into contra-rotating toroidal propellers with the aim of improving propulsive efficiency while reducing hydrodynamic losses. Meanwhile, PolyBoat Nantes is developing a hybrid architecture that combines hydrogen, solar energy and a foil-based system, which illustrates the increasing complexity of the solutions being explored in this category. The Spanish team, InnoBoat Bizkaia, stands out for its approach, which combines artificial intelligence with environmental data. Its route planning system uses real-time Copernicus Marine data to optimise trajectories based on currents, and an AI-based conversational assistant helps the pilot make operational and energy-related decisions.
Other teams also stand out for their system-level approach. For example, Indonesia’s Hydros Team Universitas Indonesia has chosen to develop its entire propulsion chain in-house, from the electric motor to the propeller. Meanwhile, France’s Néréides UTT is pursuing an advanced eco-design strategy, incorporating bio-based materials such as flax fibre to enhance performance and reduce weight. In the field of hybrid architectures, Italy’s Elettra UniGe continues to develop solutions that combine hydrogen and battery systems. Through the Energy Class, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge reaffirms its role as a full-scale testing ground for electric and hybrid technologies with concrete applications in the maritime industry.
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