VIDEO: Navier to launch pilot Bay Area e-boat shuttle service
Written by Nick Blenkey
Image: Navier
Foiling electric boats are getting a lot of attention worldwide as the zero-emission, high speed, water transit solution of the future. The race is on to get the first of the vessels into actual service and San Francisco based foiling e-boat start-up Navier aims to be an early front runner. It is to pilot zero-emission water shuttle services in the Bay Area in partnerships with e-payment infrastructure specialist Stripe.
At launch of this initial program, planned for March 2024, Navier will provide one of its flagship 30-foot N30 6-passenger boats, followed by another five to seven boats thereafter, to provide water shuttle services for Stripe employees from Larkspur, Calif., to Stripe’s U.S. headquarters in South San Francisco.
Transportation services under the Stripe pilot program will be operated by Navier Mobility, the company’s water transit arm.
Bieker Boats has been responsible for the design of the N30 hull, foils and advanced carbon fiber composite structures.
The N30 seats six passengers. Navier is also developing expanded models that will seat up to 30 passengers for higher-traffic routes. Navier estimates that each 30-passenger hydrofoil model will reduce automobile usage by the equivalent of 120 cars, with a commensurate reduction in traffic and carbon emissions in coastal cities.
MIT Ph.D. Sampriti Bhattacharyya, co-founder and CEO of Navier, said, “Navier’s mission is to introduce the next generation of high-speed, zero-emissions water transportation, starting right here in the Bay Area. This pilot program will connect parts of the Bay Area where traditional ferries are not available, cutting commutes that take an hour or more to less than 30 minutes door-to-door – all with no carbon emissions.”
“The pilot program with Stripe will provide a valuable case study as we explore ways to efficiently reduce employee commute times and emissions in coastal cities,” Bhattacharyya continued. “Today, 46% of the world’s population lives in crowded coastal areas, which continue to struggle with traffic congestion, fossil fuel pollution and a lack of affordable housing options. Our pilot program demonstrates a clear path forward for these cities to reduce traffic, costs and emissions; connect business hubs with more affordable areas; and unlock the productive potential of millions of workers who would otherwise spend uncounted hours stuck in traffic.”
According to Navier, “the N30, is America’s first all-electric hydrofoil boat, with a revolutionary design that reduces operational costs to only $0.38 per mile, a tenfold reduction compared to traditional boats.” The company also claims that the N30 has the longest range of any electric boat in the world, clocking in at 100 miles at cruising speed.
Navier says that the N30 addresses the two key challenges that make smaller boats (i.e., those in the 24 – 45 foot range) unfit for scalable transportation: namely, cost and comfort. Gliding four feet above the water, the N30 eliminates hydrodynamic resistance and provides a smooth, quiet ride with no sea sickness. It also eliminates the extensive infrastructure needed to operate large ferries – as it can operate from any marina – creating opportunities for more frequent, more efficient trips with higher capacity utilization.
Navier’s early investors include Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Android co-founder Rich Miner, Sustainable Ocean Alliance (backed by Salesforce co-founder, chairman and CEO Marc Benioff), Propeller VC (backed by Hubspot co-founder and chairman Brian Halligan), Global Founders Capital, Treble, Next View Ventures, Liquid2 Ventures, Soma Capital, Precursor Ventures and Will.i.am. The company’s engineering team includes MIT-trained aerospace and robotics engineers with experience at NASA, Google X, Amazon Robotics, Apple and Ferrari, among others, along with America’s Cup experts.
The team has executed rapidly on its growth plan, both designing the N30 and ramping up to full production in less than two years.
Bhattacharyya concluded, “Navier conducted a successful, month-long roadshow to engage city officials, transportation departments and other stakeholders in some of the country’s largest coastal cities last October and received overwhelming positive interest in bringing high-speed water transit to each metro. It is deeply gratifying to start on this path with a pilot program that contributes to the revitalization of our home base of San Francisco. We look forward to rapidly growing to serve other coastal cities such as New York, Boston, Seattle and Miami, among others. The clean, high-speed revolution in water transportation – and its benefits for commuters, companies and cities everywhere – is just beginning.”
- Download the N30 brochure HERE
