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SeaBubbles is a startup created by Alain Thébault and Anders Bringdal in 2016. They design and manufacture electric boats, called 
Prototype test
hydrofoils
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...
the size of small cars. It is proposed they could be used as water taxi
A water taxi or a water bus is a boat used to provide public transport, public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an Urban area, urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a simil ...
s in cities.
History
Founded by Alain Thébault, designer of the world record breaking Hydroptère, who conceived the idea and Anders Bringdal, a four-time windsurfing world champion. They brought together inFrance
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
a team with skills in hydrodynamic designing. Finalizing a design in 2016 for a five-person SeaBubbles water taxi
A water taxi or a water bus is a boat used to provide public transport, public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an Urban area, urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a simil ...
.
After testing a scale prototype, in July 2016 they raised capital of €500,000 to fund the next stage. Full size prototypes were built and tested on the Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
in Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 2017, operating between two landing stages. , 40 units had been ordered.
Design
Designed to operate in a no-wake zone, the SeaBubbles rises after a few meters and reaches a speed of , on four skids. This reduces water drag by 40% and increases efficiency, allowing speeds of up to a potential . The SeaBubble is powered by two electrically driven propellers attached to the rear skids. The electric power is replenished at the landing stage by using a mixture of solar panels and turbines to charge the batteries. A full size prototype was tested in March 201Prototype test
Eco friendly
The Bubble is silent and as it makes no wake, it will not erode river banks. It uses electricity thus it has no emission on the trip.References
External links
* {{official website, http://www.seabubbles.com S Shipping and the environment Boat types