Electricity Afloat
"As he tested his electric boat, Le Téléphone, up and down the River Seine in Paris in May 1881, Gustave must have wondered whether his idea would ever catch on....."
Alain Thébault, French skipper of the 50 knots multihull sailing hydrofoil called the Hydroptère, has been working on twin electric-motor quadrifoil commuter craft called Les Bulles de Mer (= The Sea Bubbles) for use on the rivers of the world’s main cities (Paris, London, San Francisco).
Two eight-scale prototypes were built and a full-scale will go on trials at the end of Spring 2016 on the Seine. Coqueline, the widow of André Courrèges who builds electric cars has invested 100.000 euros in the start-up for the first prototypes, back by Henri Seydoux, director of the Parrott drone manufacturing company. The use of Sea Bubbles, capable of 18 kph for daily commuting should take the strain from the city circular roads. Initially, there will be drivers, but eventually the Sea Bubbles can become autonomous. Perhaps by 2019, electric water taxis will become a daily site on the Seine.
Why not call them TrueVay - TrueWays - BonChemins...If you go now you can catch a Trouvay downriver."
