Ships of the future: The Sea Bubbles in Paris and what about Nice?

The Sea Bubbles (“flying taxis”) could return to Paris next year

Small white boat named 'Prototype SeaBubbles #1' on a river with buildings and a bridge in the background.

In late October, the sailor seemed to give up, announcing that his “Sea Bubbles” electric would settled in Switzerland.
© JOEL SAGET / AFP

The electric taxi boat flying at 50 km / h

The “wind turns”: the Sea Bubbles, these “flying taxis” on the water whose tests had been suspended in Paris, could return next year to the capital to be experienced on a large scale, said Wednesday their inventor , the sailor Alain Thébault.

“We feel that the wind is turning. In navy terms, it is said that the wind becomes more favorable” told AFP the navigator, to say how the wind was going in the right direction for a public experiment to be held in France.

In late October, the browser seemed to give up, because of red tape, announcing that his “Sea Bubbles” electric settled in Switzerland.

A meeting was held last Friday at the Ministry of Transport with the City of Paris, Voies Navigables de France and the Port of Paris, and our “reasonable proposal to fly on an experimental basis at 30km / was accepted.” he said.

The “flying” speed of the machines was indeed a stumbling block. The regulation imposes a maximum authorized speed on the Seine of 12 km / h in the city center, 18 km / h beyond whereas the “flying taxis” are made to sail at 50 km / h.

The question of refueling on pontoons is still under study and could be settled with a + drop-off + system on barges, he said.

“We go little by little,” he added, estimating that 5 to 10 of these flying taxis could be deployed for several months on the Seine, perhaps in the summer, and why not be integrated in the Navigo pass.

In April, five “bubbles” will be installed between Geneva and a neighboring town and, integrated into the transport network, will serve as taxis on demand. A “bus” version will be tested at the end of the year.

A prototype “bubble” was tested on June 16 on the Seine with on board the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, who has supported the project since its inception.

“We are hopeful that the brakes to the project are lifted so that we can go to an experiment in 2018,” said Wednesday the City of Paris, confirming the holding of this meeting.

Last Friday, Anne Hidalgo had in a tweet evoked a “constructive meeting” following which “a collective work is committed for Sea Bubbles to be experienced in Paris in 2018!”.

Sea Bubbles with electric propulsion take up the principle of the hydrofoil developed by M. Thébault, with “foils”, sort of submerged fiberglass arches which, thanks to the speed, keep the boat out of the water. some 50 cm above the waves.

What about Nice on the French Reviera?

A few months after this news we could see Sea Bubble in Villefranche, while having a pleasant solar boat tour with seaZen. It is very interesting to see this type of boat dealing against the conditions of navigation at sea. However, it was difficult for us to run as our solar catamarans are designed to navigate in total autonomy with the sun, so that the speed of navigation are not compatible. It is also true that the programs of use have nothing to do.

White futuristic boat with canopy docked in a harbor.

Whats next?

A dramatic change in September 2018, we learn that Seabubbles has – finally – obtained the authorization to sail by derogation until 25 knots is about 40 km / h. This derogation was obtained at the highest level thanks to the initiative of the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and the Minister of Transport Élisabeth Borne.

Even the very conservative sailing community is releasing the news about the project to create a line of 15 to 20 seaBubble that could open between Trocadero and the Gare de Lyon for spring.

Given the speed of cruise considered, this means of transport can hope to compete with cars. Moreover, when we follow the progress made in the autonomous vehicle, and we will talk about it in a future article, it seems quite likely that boats like Seabubbles will offer unmanned passenger transport. If this technology is on the market before autonomous cars, then the economic alternative will be all the more competitive.

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