Alternative methods of propulsion are coming to yachting, and real innovation is happening.
Superyachting is moving increasingly away from diesel and towards zero-emission methods of propulsion — or so the narrative suggests. But what does the data say? Where is the industry realistically heading with respect to its power generation, and how far away is the next major breakthrough?
According to BOATPro data, about 92 percent of all 1,093 superyachts in build or on order (reported in the 2026 Global Order Book) will be powered by a standard diesel engine. So it’s fair to say that whatever industry transition is taking place, it’s still in its early stages.
“The reason diesel engines have been around so long is that they are still a very efficient way to make power,” Caterpillar Marine strategy manager Allen Bowman tells BOATPro. “All these other solutions, such as alternative fuels, hybrids, batteries etc, have trade-offs, typically including lower-energy density and availability of alternative fuels, ease of installation and higher initial and longer-term costs, so manufacturers are working hard to keep solutions as simple and reliable as possible.”
Two of the most promising, and widely adopted, solutions are hybrid and diesel-electric propulsion, comprising a respective 43 and 38 superyacht projects in development. Both help to lower a yacht’s emissions, and, according to Bowman, a new, modular approach is making diesel-electric systems even more attractive to owners.
Instead of being locked into a traditional layout (with two large engines connected to mechanical shafts), diesel-electric yachts can now be configured. “A yacht that once relied on twin engines with mechanical shaft propulsion may now adopt four smaller units driving diesel-electric propulsion,” Bowman says. This helps to reduce the size of an engine room, meaning shipyards can free up interior volume. In addition, generators free of mechanical shafts can be positioned in more efficient locations throughout the yacht, giving designers increased flexibility.
Beyond this, methanol and hydrogen systems have slowly started making their way onto the yachting scene, for example on Sanlorenzo’s groundbreaking methanol-fuel-cell 164-foot yacht Almax, and Feadship’s hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered 390-foot Breakthrough. Bowman acknowledges that methanol and hydrogen may represent longer-term solutions, though it depends on how infrastructure and regulations progress over the next few years.
In terms of the industry’s next major innovation, yachting is seemingly teetering on the edge of the nuclear option. During this year’s Superyacht Design Festival, a session on emerging power technologies examined the viability of supercapacitor graphene batteries, which could offer a new pathway to zero-emission yachting when paired with micro modular reactors. According to Derek Munro, director at Divergent Yachting, the technology is currently being developed for yachts 148 feet and above and could be ready as early as 2030. “[Nuclear] is definitely the way forward. What we have to tell people and educate them a bit about is that it is intrinsically safe,” he told the crowd, arguing that under certain circumstances, the technology is safer than traditional diesel engines.