Vita electric yacht raises €1.1M for FPA2 ocean fund

A one of a kind electric powerboat by Vita was auctioned for over a million Euros (1.2M US$) at the third Monte Carlo Gala for The Oceans with proceeds going to the Global Ocean initiatives of the Fondation Prince Albert II of Monaco (FPA2).

His Serene Highness donated this, his personal yacht, to the auction as one of the highlights of the evening.

The Vita IX has 130kWh of compact liquid cooled lithium battery storage and a 360bhp electric twin water jet drive. This custom finished craft sports the distinctive red of the principality’s flag and has the Prince’s personal monogram on the steering wheel. The IX model was the first powerboat to achieve a ClearwaterTM Gold Standard rating for its minimal impact on our oceans and cruises at 20 to 30 knots.

Star-studded evening and one-of-a-kind items

Uma Thurman oversaw the bidding for the boat at the star-studded event which honoured Robert Redford for his environmental work and featured performances by Gwen Stefani, Andrea Bocelli and Kool & the Gang. Ms. Thurman was joined by Nicole Kidman and Andy Garcia for co-hosting duties. Previous honourees are Leonardo Di Caprio and Orlando Bloom.

There were dozens of other items up for auction including unique events (like a private dinner at The Eiffel Tower), exquisite jewellery pieces and works of art by Picasso, Frank Stella and others.

New energy items on the block included the first prototype of Aston Martin’s electric Rapide E as well as one-off editions of a carbon fibre DaVinci Falco electric motorcycle and DaVinci Hyper electric supercar.

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FPA2 has contributed €55M / US$60M to ocean work

Prince Albert II’s foundation (FPA2) was founded in 2006 and has now contributed more than 55 million Euros to initiate or support 470 projects around the world. The 2017 gala raised  €12.8M / US$14M and proceeds from the 2018 gala helped fund initiatives in every continent by advancing research and solutions in the main channels FPA2 concentrates on:

• Fighting against plastic pollution
• Developing the Mediterranean Trust fund for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
• Conserving marine species facing a risk of extinction
• Expanding MPAs in the polar regions
• Mitigating ocean acidification
• Supporting innovations to challenge marine threats
• Favouring sustainable yachting practices
• Promoting environmental education

Vita Yachts has frequently partnered with the Foundation and the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM) to promote and advance the  adoption of electric boating in the Mediterranean. YCM is home to the Monaco Solar and Energy Boat Challenge and recently introduced a zero emission Committee Boat for races to go along with their three all-electric tenders.

Introduced electric boat supercharging network

The Vita company mission is: “To craft beautiful boats that improve the environment we live in.” Their team includes Formula 1 and Formula E trained engineers who bring the latest electric automotive technology and engineering to e-boating.

In May they launched their Vita superPower™ network of dockside superchargers at the YCM and now have the chargers installed in Cannes and St. Tropez with plans for 8 more along the Cote d’Azur.

Stewart Wilkinson, Founder and Chairman of Vita Yachts, said “The challenge of safeguarding our oceans becomes more formidable every day. As a company driven by the need to find solutions to the growing crisis, we are very pleased that Vita has been able to play a part in supporting the work of the Prince Albert Foundation.”