Water taxis are a cool way to get around some of South Florida’s waterways, but SeaBubbles could turn it into a higher speed experience.
The lithium battery powered hydrofoils can zip along at up to 20 knots (23 mph) and visited Miami during the boat and yacht shows weekend.
The SeaBubble website says it is providing a solution for gridlocked roads and pollution. The company envisions water taxis that will move at the speed of a car for the price of a taxi.
“Think James Bond car, available for everybody, but with zero wave, zero noise, zero CO2 emission,” the website says.
Techcrunch says the prototype has 1.5 hours of battery life and a five-hour battery recharge, but the company expects to cut that to 2.5 hours of operation and a 35-minute recharge.
The first ones are expected to ship this summer and cost $200,000.
The SeaBubbles are being developed by Alain Thébault and Anders Bringdal.
In 2009, Thébault broke the world sailing record for speed with his l’Hydroptére, reaching 51.36 knots (59.10 mph) over 500 meters. (The current record is 65.45 knots.)
Bringdal is a two-time world windsurfing champion.
