A boat that glides just above the water, rather than pushing against waves, sounds like something out of a science fiction tale. But this is precisely what the startup Navier has realized with their "flying water taxis." These aren't typical seafaring vessels. They're fully electric, capable of an impressive 75 miles on a single eight-hour charge, and the ride is silent, swift, and smooth.
These water taxis are designed primarily for personal transport, comfortably seating six to eight people. While the price tag is currently a steep $375,000 per hydrofoil, the company hopes to "make its mark by 2035."
Recently, Astrid Kane, a journalist from The San Francisco Standard, had a chance to experience a ride, I mean, glide, on one of Navier's boat in the San Francisco Bay. While aboard, they interviewed the company's CEO and co-founder:
Co-founder Sampriti Bhattacharyya's background is in aerospace robotics, and she applied her work on underwater drones—like Jensen, she holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—to create this next-generation vessel.
"We are very bullish about the vision and what it can enable," she said. "It's a game changer."
You really have to see this thing to believe it:
