ai Class · Team Profile

TÉCNICO SOLAR BOAT

🇵🇹 Instituto Superior Técnico

Técnico Solar Boat (TSB) is a student-led project from Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, dedicated to the design and manufacture of sustainable and autonomous vessels. With over a decade of history and a fleet of seven boats, TSB is defined by its ambition and multidisciplinary expertise, pioneering technologies in solar energy, hydrogen propulsion, hydrofoiling and autonomous systems. Each boat has served as a platform to test and refine new ideas, and the team now consolidates that cumulative knowledge into its most advanced prototype to date: São Gabriel 01. This vessel represents TSB’s most ambitious challenge yet, integrating years of innovation into a single, high-performance platform.

The team

Meet the team

University

Association of Applied Technical Sciences

Country

🇵🇹 Portugal

Based in

Lisbon, Portugal

Class

AI Class

Racing number

N°

The boat

TÉCNICO SOLAR BOAT

This year, Técnico Solar Boat aims to build upon the previous season’s foundations by refining São Gabriel’s existing systems while integrating cutting-edge technologies, with its most significant advancements focused on hydrogen propulsion and full autonomy. The team is engineering the integration of a 100 kW fuel cell to demonstrate hydrogen’s potential as the definitive energy source for the future of maritime transport. In parallel, it is developing a steer-by-wire system to achieve full vessel autonomy, removing the mechanical link between helm and rudder in favour of precise electronic control. Together, these developments ensure the prototype is prepared to meet the complex technological challenges of tomorrow.

Powertrain

100 kW hydrogen fuel cell

autonomy

Steer-by-wire system (full autonomy)

Technologies

Solar, hydrogen, hydrofoiling, autonomous systems

ai Class · 2026

Follow the team at the Challenge

Técnico Solar Boat competes in the AI Class at the 13th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, 7–11 July 2026 in Port Hercule. Backed by a decade of history and a fleet of seven boats, the Instituto Superior Técnico team brings São Gabriel 01, its most advanced prototype yet, integrating a 100 kW hydrogen fuel cell and a steer-by-wire system for full vessel autonomy.