This year’s sustainability event EVER Monaco will be the biggest yet, Bernard Fautrier revealed during a press event on Wednesday, with a larger exhibition area and new sections dedicate to electric air transport and digital.
EVER Monaco was created in 2006, making it the first event of its kind in Monaco to tackle the theme of sustainable transport and renewable energies.
It quickly became the benchmark for the sector and this year it will have the largest exhibition area in its history, EVER President Bernard Fautrier revealed during a press conference on Wednesday.
Fautrier, who is also Prince Albert’s Special Advisor in charge of environmental issues, says it has been exciting to watch the technological advancements over the years.
“12 to 15 years ago, there were a few crazy people who dared to use an electric car, and I was one of them,” Bernard Fautrier told Monaco Life. “It was still a problem to climb a hill, you weren’t sure you could reach the top. Now you can drive an electric car with the same performance as a car that runs on fuel. Technology is evolving so much faster. The idea of electric aerial vehicles a decade ago was simply incredible, now they are fast becoming a reality.”
For the third time, the organisers of EVER Monaco have chosen to exhibit at the Chapiteau (Big Top) in Fontvielle, the emblematic location of the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival. But instead of elephants and flying trapeze troupes, visitors will this month find exhibitors at the forefront of a sustainable world, and start-up companies vying for a position in the lucrative clean mobility industry.
There will also be the popular Ride and Drive section, and two new additions: a space dedicated to NFTs and the metaverse, and another for aerial transport.
To accommodate this growth in participants, the exhibition space has been expanded to reach a record 10,000sqm.
Test the latest technologies
The Ride and Drive area will now be able to accommodate more than 40 vehicles, and it has been redesigned for a “smoother visit”.
There will even be an electric mini-excavator challenge for entertainment and demonstration.
The exhibition features not only two-wheelers and cars, but also electric buses, public works machinery, maintenance and heavy goods vehicles. Volvo, a sponsor partner for this year’s event, revealed that it will be showcasing three new vehicles at the exhibition: a 100% electric truck and two electric construction vehicles.
Fautrier says it is important for a destination like Monaco to support innovations that not only reduce C02 emissions, but also noise pollution.
“It is essential in a territory like we have, which is like an ampitheatre in which noise is a huge problem, to have electric machinery that reduces all types of pollution. It can really help to improve quality of life,” he told Monaco Life.
New for 2023: air transport
Organisers are this year embracing a new concept, sustainable air travel, with companies like Lilium exhibiting their innovative designs. Lilium is the developer of the electric vertical take-off and landing jet Lilium Jet. Its focus is a sustainable high-speed regional mode of transport, accessible for people and goods. Offering peak capacity, low noise and high performance with zero emission in operation, the Lilium Jet aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of air travel.
NFTs and the metaverse
How will we be able to buy cars in the future? What are the digital tools to certify a vehicle’s documents? These are some of the questions that EVER Monaco will answer in a space reserved for specialist companies. Institutions, partners and specialists will be invited to speak on these new subjects, their progress and prospects for this broad field.
Electric motorsport
On 6th May, the Principality will host the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. A few days later, on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th, EVER Monaco will exhibit two single-seater electric race cars that have taken part in the series, showing how the technology has evolved since the race’s creation in 2014.
Today, the single-seaters on the track are third generation. At EVER Monaco, ‘Gen1’ cars from the Monegasque Venturi Formula E team will be on show, as well as ‘Gen2’ cars from the Nissan team.
Supporting innovative start-ups
More than 30 start-ups will be on show at EVER Monaco in the Start-ups Village, where they will be able to gain visibility, meet potential investors, obtain advice, seek partners, or even secure commercial contracts.
Initiated in 2018 and sustained since 2020 thanks to the collaboration IMT (Institut-Mines Télécom), MonacoTech and CSM (Scientific Center of Monaco), the start-ups will also have the opportunity to pitch their ventures in front of members of Monegasque institutions and partners who will offer prizes for the most innovative among them.
The award ceremony for the pitch competition will take place on Friday 12th at 3.30pm.
Continuing a path that Monaco has been on for over a century
“There has been a tradition for more than a century in Monaco to be at the forefront of innovation,” said Fautrier. “Albert I, for example, supported the development of road pavements and helicopters, among others, so I think we are oriented to trying to develop technologies that will have a positive impact on everybody, and electric vehicles are an example of that.”
The 18th edition of Ever Monaco will take place on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th May.
Photo by Monaco Life