Propulsion House Pulling-e and Cambridge University’s Riviera Racing Team have partnered on the development of a zero-emission racing catamaran following the Monaco Smart Yacht Rendezvous earlier this year. The project aims to showcase the viability of hydrogen for the yacht industry at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge in July 2024. 

“Creating a holistic and tailor-made design for the team has been exciting, pushing the boundaries of innovation to create something unique, purpose-built and engineered to meet the demands of this Challenge,” says Heikki Bergman, CEO and Design Manager, Pulling-e. “This is about pioneering new frontiers in sustainable maritime technology, and we eagerly anticipate Monaco to showcase the results.” 

The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge showcases innovation and sustainability within the yachting sector, with participants encouraged to explore new technologies, materials and alternative propulsion systems that reduce the environmental impact while maintaining performance. More than 40 international teams from around the world will compete against each other in speed, agility and endurance tests. 

The catamaran racer made by the university and engineering firm incorporates a propulsion system designed by Pulling-e. This uses a hybrid power source system, feeding an electric motor, and directly driving a pulling-type propeller within the underwater pod unit. This design allows propeller operation in an un-disturbed water field and gearless power transfer.

The propulsion system will be delivered to the team’s workshops in Cambridge, allowing them to conduct real-world testing under various conditions. The team at Pulling-e will then verify the component delivery through full-scale testing in their workshop. 

“The team at Pulling-e have been fantastic in providing us with unprecedented levels of customisation to our propulsion unit,” says Harsh Sinha, Co-Captain and Director of Operations, Cambridge University Riviera Racing. 

“We are grateful that they have been a pillar of support from the early stages of our project, and we continue to be pleasantly surprised by the team's open-mindedness towards both the exploration and experimentation of new ideas.”

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