Paris is planning to introduce a taxi service where a boat will rise out of the water on hydrofoil wings and fly on the Seine river. The boat has been developed by SeaBubbles craft and is powered by electric motors. The bubble taxi can carry upto five passengers including the pilot with the maximum speed of 25 km/h. The SeaBubbles claims that the taxi will not produce any wave, noise or emission.

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Archimedean mode to foiling mode

The company also claims that it can be used in different environments such as lakes, rivers and the open sea. The taxi sails in the range of 0 to 18 knots and different knots are required for various functionalities. As per the company’s website, the taxi is in Archimedean mode between 0 to 6 knots where the hull touches the water. The bubble changes into foiling mode between 7 to 18 knots where only the foils are touching the water and it lifts off the water, flying 40cm above the water surface. 

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Parking friendly taxi

The bubble taxi is equipped with a fly-by-wire system which is also used in the aviation industry. This niche technology allows the system to constantly measure the position of the boat above the water. The system sends the information to the flaps, which are mounted on the foil, to balance the boat in order to keep it stable. The foils made up of carbon fibre which helps to achieve a mean between lightness and resistance. The scissor-doors used in the bubble taxi saves parking space and optimize embarking and disembarking.

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The testing is underway and is likely to continue till September 20. The project backers are seeking a license to operate on the river as a taxi service from the east of Paris to the west. The technology used by the SeaBubbles were invented decades ago but the instability factor has led to its limited commercial use.

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