Last month, after two and a half years of planning and construction, the American startup Navier, located in Alameda in the San Francisco Bay, launched eight hybrid boats/ships, combining electric and diesel propulsion, 9 meters long, model called N30.
At the same time, the company announced two additional boats, small yachts, 24 and 36 meters long. Another boat was delivered a year ago to an anonymous client in California.
Navier, founded in 2020, has already been providing, since March last year, an experimental “water taxi” service using such an electric boat, transporting employees of a financial company from Marin County to the company’s headquarters in South San Francisco and back, about 35.5 km each way.
According to the founder and CEO, the N30 ships are the future of global transportation.
For her, the vision of electric boats hovering over water is even more realistic than the more familiar vision of flying cars that would save us from traffic jams.
The hybrid electric watercraft that Navier is currently building, according to the CEO, can change the face of commercial transportation with zero emissions affecting the climate.
They will reach the longest ranges in the world without recharging over 2,000 nautical miles for a 9-meter boat.
“Each of these boats can save trips and remove almost 120 cars from the road every day,” the CEO said. “The impact on a large scale is huge.”
Navier did not exactly invent the wheel: small electric boats can already be found in the world. Vessev, a startup in New Zealand, and Candela, a company in Stockholm, also produce electric hover boats. But only Navier’s boats/ships can already sail and actually hover over water for thousands of kilometers, after a single 45-minute charge, at speeds up to 55 km/h.
Unlike standard boats, the hybrid-electric watercraft built by the company are very light, made of carbon fiber and equipped with three underwater wings, which lift the ship body to hover over water at a height of 1.2 meters at high speed.
This ensures smooth movement regardless of sea conditions.
Even in high waves, passengers do not experience jolts. At low speeds, Navier operates as a regular boat.
The ship’s batteries are adapted for the marine environment their lifespan is over 10 years, and they are designed to maintain 90% of capacity even after 5,000 charge cycles.
According to the CEO, this hovering technique consumes 90% less energy than regular fuel-powered boats and allows stable navigation even in the roughest conditions.
And the price? Operating costs are ten times lower: according to Forbes, instead of 4 dollars per nautical mile, only 38 cents.
According to the company, “The technology is intuitive, making the N30 easy to drive and maintain, and allows you to enjoy sunsets on the sea, alone, with friends or family, without distractions from a noisy engine or fuel fumes.”
The electric engine of the first N30 model is much quieter than comparable internal combustion engines and ensures no disturbance to nearby shores or reefs.
Each boat has a maximum capacity of 6 to 9 people, depending on the model. Operation is fully automatic, so driving the boat, according to Navier, “is as easy as driving a car”: the operator uses the throttle and steering wheel exactly like in a regular boat.
“If it is possible to move vehicles on water at the cost, speed, and convenience of travel on land or flight,” the CEO said last week to Business Insider, “it is also possible to build large and efficient transportation networks. Why don’t we have ‘Uber’ boats moving us across water where possible? Why not a fast boat from Redwood City to Berkeley in the Bay? It would take 20 minutes instead of an hour and a half.”
The new Navier boats are revealed at a time when the U.S. military has begun adopting new technologies that can also serve the defense market the company, the CEO says, is already working with the Department of Defense, and its systems are installed on U.S. Navy ships.
Such a quiet vessel, which also generates a low heat signature and can reach very long ranges, is considered highly attractive for the defense market, especially for special operations, surveillance, and patrol.
Hybrid-electric propulsion does not depend on fuel and allows extended presence for weeks or more at sea.
The CEO said, “If you want to patrol the Red Sea or the South China Sea, you need a vessel that can take you long distances with less need for refueling.”
The first working product introduced by Navier is the N30 Pioneer, a boat described as designed “for adventurers who always paved their own way.”
It is built with interchangeable and upgradeable components, allows customization, and expansion capability.
This year, the company intends to deliver 20 N30 models and is flooded with orders.
Navier is currently managing registration for a “Pioneer Club” applicants can schedule a meeting with a sales representative. The price, particularly for customers, is $850,000 per unit.