We recently posted about the proposed testing of an amphibious electric flying car on the Hudson River, which may or may not be a good idea. On the other side of the Atlantic on the River Seine, tests are ongoing of a technology that looks far more feasible — the SeaBubble, an all-electric hydrofoil taxi, that promises to operate with zero emissions, zero noise, and zero wake. 

The SeaBubbles are referred to in French as taxis volants, “flying taxis”. The egg-shaped pods will rise up on hydrofoils 20″ above the surface and will travel at an approved speed of 25 kilometers per hour. Each SeaBubble can carry four passengers, and once approved, will be able to be ordered on an app like land taxis, shared bikes or other forms of transport. This is the third round of testing and if all goes well, they hope to begin operations in the Spring of 2020.

SeaBubbles is a startup created by Alain Thébault and Anders Bringdal in 2016. They claim to offer the only zero-impact transportation ecosystem available today. Their goal is to be operating in 50 waterfront cities within five years.

New ‘Sea Bubbles’ tests on the Seine ahead of commercial use