DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 17 other. According to Bringdal, the foils cut the water instead of pushing it. Bringdal said, “Th e foils work in the water like an airplane wing does in the air. With speed 7 knots in our case, the boat will lift out of the water until the foils come more and more out of the water. When the point has been reached where the foils are partly out of the water, there is not enough foil in the water to lift anymore. At that stage, the boat is stable and has found its natural height out of the water.” Utilizing New Technology Th e SeaBubbles are powered with lithium batteries, which makes them eco-friendly; they emit no pollution or noise. Th e SeaBubbles have propellers that will give approximately 529 pounds of thrust, while the foil wings underwater work to raise the bubble above the water. As a result of the way that it travels, there is a 40 percent reduction in water resistance, which in turn, is designed to save battery power. Th e batteries have the ability to be charged up while being docked with solar panels as well as with the use of marine turbines, increasing their eco-friendly appeal. Th e water taxis are then able to run for approximately two hours, working off of a six- to seven-minute charging time. For the batteries Bringdal said that he is working with diff erent manufacturers; they do not design their own batteries, but he said that they are looking for the best preforming product. For the operation of the SeaBubbles, they are looking toward a popular technology that is being utilized in cars and drones. “We will have drivers for now, driverless in the future. Maybe driverless fi rst in private situations, like developments around lakes and so on. We’ve got to handle the legality of driverless fi rst. But, that being said, I think it is easier to have driverless boats than cars, as there is less things to hit. Boats today operate well on autopilot so it is less a step to handle than what the cars need to do.” Crafting a New Form of Transit Building a new method of transit is a process. Th e fi nalized design FOUNDERS ALAIN Thebault and Anders Bringdal. was set for testing in December 2016 and production will begin in 2017 — with a projected launch of June 2017. “For now we are working on launch early summer in Paris. Th is is a test and show of the system. We will operate this test ourselves,” said Bringdal. “We are looking for operators aft er this as if we stay as operators our self, we will be slowed down in our goal of global launch. We have lots of demand from operators but need to go step by step at this point.” Funding their project through investors, Bringdal said that the upcoming weeks were important for the SeaBubbles team. “We are half way through raising funding. Th ese are an important two week for us now, as we may close with two bigger guys that may join us.” While SeaBubbles will fi rst be seen in Paris, Bringdal said that they have had interest — and hope — to expand elsewhere. “I have demand from all over the place. Part from France, we also got the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Asia, India, the Middle East, Africa, Scandinavia and greater Europe,” added Bringdal. “It is a bit overwhelming at the moment but I am very happy to see we have such demand. Cities are really looking for ways of public transport that is green and easy to implement. With little over 1 knot of current, our system is automatic: plug-and-play kind of thing. We generate the energy we need to operate.” Th e idea of taking the rising congestion out of rising populations in urban cities is a welcome one. “From the start of the idea we today are starting to mold it into a good possible option to being stuck in a traffi c jam,” said Bringdal. “In eff ect, it is a tool that can be used joined with others to get some good fun transport around the world.” Christophe Launay By the Numbers 529 Pounds of Thrust 2 Hour Battery Charge 6-7 Minute Charging Time
MassTransit_December2016_January2017
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