Next generation of boat - an all-electric, "flying" hydrofoil

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It could have been straight out of an episode of The Jetson, and part of a futuristic dream - well, the future is here. An all-electric hydrofoil boat skimming along the surface of the lake, using no gas, no lake water, the ability to make tight turns and use "crabwalk," and with no worries about waves or wakes.

Navier Boats is at Lake Tahoe this holiday weekend, following up on popular demonstrations over the Fourth of July. They'll be along the West Shore on Saturday if you happen to catch a glimpse of the blue boat with "Electric Flying Boat" on the side.

I went out to the lake to get on board and experience the company's hydrofoil and see what it's all about. Under the expert control of Kris Tsonev, the ride was more than expected. Once we made it out of the Tahoe Keys Marina to where the boat could start going fast, one easy motion of Kris's hand had the boat quickly and smoothly off the surface. It can make easy turns as if on a pivot point, and wakes from the other boats didn't faze the movement.

The hydrofoiling craft is 10x more efficient than traditional gas-powered boats, which delivers silent, eco-friendly electric operation with long-range and zero emissions. The split motors on the back gave Kris 360 degrees of control.

"It is an easy boat to handle," said Kris. "I love my job."

Hydrofoil technology has been about since the late 1800s, and Navier Boats Founder and CEO Sampriti Bhattacharyya is taking it to the next level with her startup. She is a roboticist with a PhD from MIT and is revolutionizing and transforming the maritime industry with the all-electric "flying" boat.

The company's sleek, efficient, and sustainable invention is helping to reimagine our waterways. The first boat purchased by an East Coast resident will be flying off the assembly line at their Alameda, Calif. headquarters in a couple of weeks. The owner will be there for the Sept. 19 celebration.

Navier is the first hydrofoil boat company in the United States, and there are two companies in Europe.

"I'm proud of the work we are doing," said Kris.

The boat can be plugged in at a 220v outlet, and a good charge during a lunch break will last a day on the lake. There are several safety features on the Navier, just in case of a problem. There are two engines, and the boat can make it back to shore on just one should a problem happen in the other. There are two batteries, and one can take over if there is a problem with the other.

While there is no all-electric hydrofoil ferry on the water yet, Navier Boats had shuttles on San Francisco Bay as a test run for the future movement of people on waterways around large cities. It can move left to right (crabwalk) and move efficiently on the water.

As we ended the journey, Kris, and teammates Rahul Joshi and Max Bellotti, finished sharing the information about the boat, and let me sit in the captain's seat. They let me know that Elon Musk also sat there after his excursion on the hydrofoil.

The cost of the model without the enclosed cabin is about $375,000 with the cabin model closer to $550,000, depending on added features. The cabin would come in handy on Lake Tahoe - since waves don't matter, it can glide along year-round, in snow or sun. For more on the boat, visit https://www.navierboat.com/.