A new electric powerboat racing series will launch in France this summer, bringing electric competition to national-level sprint racing for the first time.
The Formula 60 Electric Championship has been developed by Molabo, a German electric propulsion company, and Protenergies, a French firm specialising in electric and hydrogen mobility solutions. The series uses the Formula 4 race boat — a standard platform already widely used in European sprint powerboat racing — fitted with a 50 kW electric drive system and a swappable battery bank in place of the combustion engine.
Four race weekends are scheduled across France for the inaugural season: Albi on 7th and 8th June, Mâcon on 27th and 28th June, Chalon-sur-Saône on 29th and 30th August, and Caen on 5th and 6th September. The series will run under the French national federation (FFM), with international expansion under the UIM framework planned for 2027.
The organisers are currently seeking founding teams ahead of a 29th March deadline. Those who join at this stage will have a say in shaping the championship’s technical and competitive rules, and will receive support across technical integration and media communications. The number of available entries is described as limited.
“The transition to electric is technically straightforward,” said Adrian Patzak, Chief Commercial Officer at Molabo. “With the championship launch confirmed, the inaugural Formula 60 Electric grid is now being finalised, with only a limited number of team entries still available.”
The series arrives as electric powerboat racing grows more visible at the top of the sport. The UIM E1 World Championship — a global series using purpose-built hydrofoil RaceBird boats, with team owners including Tom Brady and Rafael Nadal — brings its 2026 season to Monaco in July, with a newly formed Team Monaco entering for the first time. Formula 60 is designed as an accessible national-level entry point for teams and sponsors looking to compete in electric racing without the investment required at the elite tier.
Teams can contact racing@molabo.com before 29th March to register interest.
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Photo: Molabo speed record, image provided