Earlier this month, the futuristic water taxi was demonstrated in Lake Geneva, expanding to Switzerland following tests on the river Seine.

SeaBubbles is the name for a new zero-emission water taxi and it was taken out onto Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The machine glides on hydrofoils that make it quicker than the average water cab. Indeed it is the top speeds of up to 30kph that have seen SeaBubbles hit regulatory hurdles in Switzerland and Paris. The electrically powered vehicles have resumed testing on the Seine after a six-month absence, due in part to speed limits on the Seine.

The SeaBubbles project is the brainchild of inventor Alain Thébault, the flight control system were designed by Caponnetto-Hueber and ABB is also involved with a system that taks in all of the sensor data and using it to control the vehicle.

The vehicle uses hydrofoil technology to lift the hull of the boat out of the water and an array of advanced sensors to keep the vehicle perfectly balanced and stable.

It is thought that growing costs led Thébault to launch the vehicles in Geneva rather than Paris but the Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo is supportive of the green initiative and she recently showed her support for eco-friendly river taxi by tweeting a photo of her morning commute on-board a SeaBubble.

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