Alain Thébault is known as designer and skipper of the record breaking ocean-going hydrofoil Hydroptère, which in 2009, was the first sailing boat to sail faster than 50 knots over a measured mile.  Now, Thébault is working on a very different project. Along with Swedish windsurfer Anders Bringdal, Thébault has developed SeaBubbles, electric water taxis that sail on hydrofoils, intended to cut both congestion and pollution in urban centers near water. The SeaBubble is a five person (four passengers plus a driver) battery-powered water taxi designed to fly on foils roughly two feet above the water. A prototype SeaBubble is expected to undergo trials in the spring on the River Seine in Paris. The SeaBubbles are reported to lift onto their foils at around 6-8 knots. Various media reports have quoted a range of top speeds from 11 knots to 25 knots.

If the prototype is successful, Thébault would like to introduce SeaBubbles to London, Geneva and New York.