Viewing profile — wthalheimer

REGENT is building wave-tolerant, all-electric WIGs called “seagliders”! https://www.regentcraft.com

Acela and Virgin Trains are not high speed rail…

Ah I see the confusion - that overflight wave tolerance is defined by an emergency landing condition. In the extremely low probability chance that the seaglider needs to perform an…

No loophole nor exceptions - we're following guidance from the International Maritime Organization on the maritime regulation of Type A WIGs ( https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources…

With today's tech you're spot on. As batteries advance though, we expect ranges closer to 500 miles by the end of the decade, which would indeed enable SF LA!

Definitely considered. Swapping means specialized training, specialized equipment (these batteries are thousands of lbs), and mass storages of batteries to be on-hand at your docks…

The greatest intro to an investor email interested in REGENT that I have ever received: "I would love to tell you that my first job was working under my Uncle Ros ( https://en.wiki…

Kind of a mix of both really. Anywhere near significant boat traffic (e.g. in harbors), we'll be on our hydrofoils at speeds of 20-50 mph. So in these environments, we're just anot…

That's what distinguishes seagliders from a GEV! We read the wikipedia article before setting off on this path too ;) Seagliders are different from all GEVs (aka WIGs) and seaplane…

Yes we'll have several sensor systems onboard that augments the captains visual perception, including radar, AIS, and we're looking into computer vision systems as well. We've been…

Acela tried... $150B pricetag :( https://www.railway-technology.com/features/featuregrand-pla...

We looked into this! If you want to go regional range, you really need high speed rail (who's trying to sit on a train that goes slower than cars on the highway...) High speed rail…

Previous ground effect craft absolutely were killed by their poor wave tolerance. That's where our hydrofoils come in. 5ft of wave tolerance through the harbors and in takeoff and …

We're using lithium-ion batteries (for now), so charging is like any electric car. As long as you have the power to fast charge it, you can do a full batter in ~45 mins. That's max…

The specific tolerance within that 8-13ft range is driven by wave period. Long period waves lets us operate more towards that 13ft end because you can contour the waves.

This is one of those "let me connect you with our sales team" questions ;) Operating cost is about half that of an aircraft though. 100% battery electric propulsion system!

Depends on the price. All electric means we operate for about half the cost of an aircraft (and about 1/10th of a helicopter). Combine that with similar speeds to aircraft, conveni…

Applied to YC! :)

Superferry was a huge case study for us. We went to Hawaii, interviewed everyone involved, and learned the lessons. We're taking a different approach that focuses on community and …

To be clear, seagliders are limited to ground effect in that it is physically impossible for the captain to remove the vehicle from ground effect. The flight control system locks t…

Andrew is a genius. He's the man!

Oh ya we have open water covered. Coastal travel = coastal destinations. The trips themselves can be coastally proximal or over open water.

Lots of examples! To pick a few: - Manhattan to the Hamptons - Los Angeles to San Diego or Santa Barbara - Interisland in Hawaii, New Zealand, Japan, Caribbean, Pacific Northwest -…

We're exploring foil-mounted sensors (e.g. sonar) for whale (and manatee, turtle, etc) detection. So far in our 1/4 scale experiments, the foils have shed kelp pretty well. Kelp is…

Seaglider entry to service is slated for mid-decade so you're spot on, all these are pre-launch sales. We're one of the few companies in the space with firm, nonrefundable deposits…