Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

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POLYBOAT NANTES

École polytechnique universitaire de Nantes Université
POLYBOAT

TEAM

PolyBoat Nantes is a student association based at Polytech Nantes, the engineering school of the University of Nantes in France. Founded in 2025, the team focuses on the design and development of innovative, sustainable marine propulsion systems, particularly hydrogen and electric technologies. Bringing together students from various engineering disciplines, PolyBoat Nantes promotes teamwork, technical excellence, and environmental responsibility through hands-on maritime engineering projects.

Project

Our participation in the MEBC 2026 is an exciting challenge. Unlike last year, we now have a full year to develop our prototype, and our team has grown from 8 to 24 members. Our main objective is to build on the experience gained during our first participation to achieve strong performance at MEBC 2026. To do so, we are focusing on three key development areas. First, improving the reliability of our boat, which was our main weakness in the 2025 edition, particularly regarding battery use and hydrogen coupling. Second, we aim to enhance the performance of existing components to improve manoeuvrability, reduce weight, and increase overall efficiency. Finally, we are integrating major innovations, including two square metres of flexible, lightweight solar panels embedded in the boat’s structure, as well as a four-foil system designed to significantly boost performance.