Energy Class · Team Profile

PolyBoat Nantes

🇫🇷 Polytech Nantes (Université de Nantes)

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, with a particular emphasis on hydrogen and electric technologies. Bringing together students from a range of engineering disciplines, PolyBoat Nantes promotes teamwork, technical excellence and environmental responsibility through hands-on maritime engineering projects, learning by designing, building and racing its own prototype.
The team

Meet the 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, with a particular emphasis on hydrogen and electric technologies. In just one year it has grown from 8 to 24 members, bringing together students from a wide range of engineering disciplines who take on every stage of the boat, from propulsion and energy systems to structure and onboard electronics. Driven by a shared commitment to teamwork, technical excellence and environmental responsibility, PolyBoat Nantes learns by designing, building and racing its own prototype, turning hands-on maritime engineering into real, competition-ready results. Building on the experience of its first participation, the team approaches MEBC 2026 with a clear ambition: to convert a year of development into reliable, high-performance racing.

University

Polytech Nantes (Université de Nantes)

Country

🇫🇷 France

Based in

Nantes, France

Class

Energy Class

Racing number

N°15

POLYBOAT NANTES
POLYBOAT NANTES
The boat

PolyBoat Nantes

Polyboat is developing an innovative electric racing boat based on a hydrogen–battery–solar hybrid system, designed to improve reliability, efficiency, and clean propulsion. This advanced energy architecture combines multiple power sources to optimise endurance and ensure more consistent performance during operation. The boat also integrates newly developed foils, helping to reduce drag, improve stability, and increase overall hydrodynamic efficiency. Compared with last year’s less mature prototype, this new version delivers stronger performance, better endurance, and a more reliable propulsion system. By combining hydrogen technology, battery storage, solar energy, and improved foil design, Polyboat offers a cleaner and more advanced solution for sustainable marine racing.
Gains

Manoeuvrability, weight, efficiency

foils

New four-foil system

solar

2 m² flexible panels embedded in structure

energy Class · 2026

Follow the team at the Challenge

PolyBoat Nantes competes in the Energy Class at the 13th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, 7–11 July 2026 in Port Hercule. Founded in 2025 and now 24 members strong, up from just 8, the Polytech Nantes team has had a full year to develop its prototype and builds directly on the experience of its first participation. Its priority is reliability, the main weakness of the 2025 edition, with particular attention to battery use and hydrogen coupling, alongside refining existing components to improve manoeuvrability, reduce weight and increase overall efficiency. On top of this, the team integrates two major innovations: two square metres of flexible, lightweight solar panels embedded directly in the boat’s structure, and a new four-foil system designed to significantly boost performance as it pushes for a strong result in Monaco.