{"id":14264,"date":"2019-02-18T17:52:25","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T17:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rsoftsolution.com\/blog\/seabubbles-shows-off-its-flying-all-electric-boat-in-miami.html"},"modified":"2019-02-18T17:52:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-18T17:52:25","slug":"seabubbles-shows-off-its-flying-all-electric-boat-in-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbsitsoftwaresolution.in\/blog\/seabubbles-shows-off-its-flying-all-electric-boat-in-miami.html","title":{"rendered":"SeaBubbles shows off its \u2018flying\u2019 all-electric boat in Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"

We were promised flying cars but, as it turns out, flying boats were easier to build.<\/p>\n

SeaBubbles<\/a>, a \u201cflying\u201d boat startup that uses electric power instead of gas, hit Miami this weekend to show off one of its five prototype boats \u2014 or six, if you count an early, windowless white boat they\u2019ve lovingly dubbed the \u201csoapdish.\u201d This innovative boat design combines technology from nautical industries and aviation and intelligent software to raise the hull of the boat out of the water using foils, which helps it consume less energy by allowing it to travel on rougher waters with reduced drag, while also keeping the passenger cabin relatively comfortable.<\/p>\n

When raised, the boat is \u201cflying\u201d above the water, so to speak.<\/p>\n

Founded only three years ago in Paris, the idea for SeaBubbles <\/a> was dreamed up by Alain Th\u00e9bault, a sailor who previously designed and piloted the\u00a0Hydropt\u00e8re<\/a>, an experimental hydrofoil trimaran, using a similar system that lifts the boat in order to reduce drag. That boat went on to break the world record for sailing speed twice, at 50.17 knots. Meanwhile, SeaBubbles\u2019 co-founder Anders Bringdal is a four-time windsurfing world champion, who also set a windsurfing world record at 51.45 knots.<\/p>\n

Together, the two have envisioned SeaBubbles as a way for cities to reduce traffic congestion and help the environment by taking advantage of the area\u2019s waterways to move people around in fast water taxis.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cities today have one thing in common: pollution and congestion,\u201d explains Bringdal. \u201cEvery city has waterways \u2014 ones that are fairly unused. Think about having a giant freeway that goes straight down the center of the city, and no one uses it\u2026 why is that?,\u201d Bringdal continues.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could do this with a normal boat,\u201d he admits. \u201cBut with a normal boat with a normal combustion engine, the fuel price you\u2019re paying is between $70 and $130 per hour. With us, it\u2019s $2,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The cost savings come from an all-electric design, which means the boat charges at a power station \u2014 preferably one that\u2019s solar charged, of course \u2014 instead of guzzling gas.<\/p>\n

The company experimented with all sorts of designs and models before settling on its first-to-market SeaBubbles water taxi: a smaller, 4.5-meter version that seats four in addition to the pilot. However, the technology itself is scalable to larger boats or even ferries.<\/p>\n

According to SeaBubbles\u2019 U.S. partner,\u00a0Daniel Berrebi, whose company\u00a0Baja Ferries has made a \u201csmall\u201d investment in SeaBubbles, even larger boats like his could eventually benefit from the technology.<\/p>\n

Beyond his obvious business interest on that front, Berrebi is also working with SeaBubbles to help the company make its first U.S. sales. He says he\u2019s sold four boats to private individuals in the area \u2014 yes, sold as in \u201cchecks in hand, and signed on the dotted line.\u201d These buyers don\u2019t want to be named, but may include well-known names in music and sports. (Of course one has to wonder how much anonymity they will really have when tooling about Miami waterways in one of only a handful of these flying boats currently in existence?)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SeaBubbles has been able to come to market with its technology so soon because it\u2019s not building everything in-house.<\/p>\n

The boats\u2019 engines are from Torqeedo, for example, while the fly-by-wire software to control the boat comes from\u00a0foiling and flight control systems engineer\u00a0Ricardo Bencatel\u2019s<\/a> company, 4DC Tech. His software solution also powered America\u2019s Cup teams\u2019 boats, like those from\u00a0Artemis Racing<\/a> and Oracle<\/a>. But the version running on SeaBubbles has customized components to control the boat\u2019s unique features.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe [SeaBubbles] boat has three main sensors \u2014 it has two high-altitude sensors to measure the height of the water, then it has a gyroscope \u2014 like the one in cell phones,\u201d explains Bencatel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe computer combines those measurements from the sensors, then it knows the angles of the boat, the height and the speed,\u201d he says. The software then uses this information to control the flaps on the boat to make adjustments. \u201cFor example, the lift \u2014 if you want to go higher,\u201d Bencatel says. \u201cOr if it\u2019s rolling to one of the sides, it uses the flaps to turn it to the other side. Or if it\u2019s pitching \u2014 bow down or bow up \u2014 it uses the front or the rear flaps,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And all of these adjustments are being made automatically, by way of software, meaning the boat operator only really has to turn the wheel and drive. They don\u2019t have to think about when to raise or lower the boat \u2014 it just happens when the boat reaches a certain speed. Under six knots, the boat is experiencing 100 percent drag, while above eight knots, the boat is \u201cflying\u201d and the drag is reduced to 60 percent. This makes the ride less bumpy, too.<\/p>\n

The lithium-ion batteries used by SeaBubbles are IP67 waterproof, and, over time, the boat could make up for its high sticker price \u2014 $200,000 at its suggested retail price \u2014 with savings on gasoline and reduced maintenance costs.<\/p>\n

The prototype version of the SeaBubbles boat has only 1.5 hours autonomy and a five-hour battery recharge to show off the technology. But the company claims the versions going into production have 2.5 hours autonomy and a 35-minute recharge. These are the ones they expect to ship this summer to the first purchasers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In addition to Miami, SeaBubbles also has customers in Russia \u2014 a luxury hotel in Moscow and a deal in St. Petersburg \u2014 as well as in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. It plans to start building boats for these markets, and hopes to reach Paris by this summer or the next. In Paris, the prototype boats run slower \u2014 take-off speed is six knots, and cruising speed tops out at 15 knots. The production version is faster due to bigger engines, with an average cruising speed of 16 knots and a top speed of 20 knots.<\/p>\n

The company is in Miami this week to show off its boat to more buyers, and take meetings with local officials.<\/p>\n

Bringdal admits that some of the company\u2019s earlier statements may have been overly ambitious \u2014 like having boats in\u00a050 cities by 2024. \u201dI think, in reality, it\u2019s step by step,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re very happy to be seeing something here in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SeaBubbles, which has seven staff full-time and 25 people, including contractors, has raised $14 million to date from investors, including the founder of drone maker Parrot,\u00a0Henri Seydoux; Partech Ventures; the French government-backed BPI fund; MAIF, a French insurance group; as well as friends, family and other angels.<\/p>\n

The company is preparing to raise a Series A.<\/p>\n

(Photo credits:\u00a0Alain Th\u00e9bault and Sarah Perez)<\/em><\/p>\n

Article source: https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2019\/02\/17\/seabubbles-flying-electric-boat-miami\/<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We were promised flying cars but, as it turns out, flying boats were easier to build. SeaBubbles, a \u201cflying\u201d boat startup that uses electric power instead of gas, hit Miami <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-14264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-networking-and-communication","tag-network-and-communication"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t