Billy Thalheimer (CEO) and Michael Klinker (CTO) of REGENT
REGENT
A Boston start-up called Regent wants to make flying ferries the best way to travel between coastal cities.
The startup is developing an “electric sea glider” that can leave a port with a hydroalip, take off at low speed using water as a runway and then fly over the waves at a maximum speed of 180 miles per hour to take passengers to their destinations, according to co-founders CEO Billy Thalheimer and technical director Michael Klinker.
The duo previously worked for a Boeing company, Aurora Flight Sciences, and both are FAA-licensed private pilots. Thalheimer told CNBC that Regent wants to make trips between coastal cities fast, safe, affordable, and reliable with the smallest environmental footprint. (The company name is an acronym for Regional Electric Landfloor Shipping.)
Gliders designed by Regent technically fall into the Wing in Ground Effect category. Historically they have not been regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, but by the United States Coast Guard.
It is important to note that Regent is developing its marine gliders to work with existing port infrastructure, according to the CEO. He points out that ports are still needed for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, be they electric air taxis, ships or land vehicles.
The company will try to establish passenger routes between major hubs such as Boston and New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, or shorter routes such as New York to Hamptons or routes connecting the Hawaiian Islands.
(Illustration) REGENT is developing a flying electric sea glider with a top speed of 180 miles per hour.
Courtesy: REGENT
But for now, with $ 9 million in new seed funding, the start-up is focusing on a prototype.
“We’ll want a fourth-scale prototype later this year,” Thalheimer said. “The prototype will be about 15 feet wide and weigh about 400 pounds. We need to make sure it works in representative operating environments, such as in waves and in a different climate.”
The company hopes to make its first flight to the Boston area, but is looking for somewhere to test elsewhere during New England’s harsh winters.
Unlike previous generations in technology, says Thalheimer, working on a start-up that deals with atoms not just bits and bytes is easier than ever. Regent is following the success of robotics and electric vehicle companies such as Kiva Robotics, Tesla, DJI and others.
“Investors were excited about that. And we feel like a lot of cities are saying come here and we’ll help you,” Thalheimer said. “We believe Boston’s culture is helping us today. We’re at MIT, in the Harvard ecosystem. And we have good connections and in the robotics and aerospace scene.” (Among other things, in Boston there are companies like Raytheon and Draper Laboratory).
Investors in Regent’s flying shuttle business include Caffeinated Capital, one of the first sponsors of the supersonic launch of Boom, Mark Cuban, Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Y Combinator and others.
Caffeinated Capital founder Raymond Tonsing said he sees Regent embodying the future of electric planes, with a super-fast ferry service even potentially competing with cars someday.
“Basically, we’re in a transition away from using fossil fuels to go from A to B, even when you don’t touch the ground. And you know? It’s a massive market and I think Regent has a very good plan to be flying passengers. in a period of approximately four years “.
The relatively quick market start-up plan exists in large part because the company hopes to meet the rules and regulations that govern seagoing ships, not aircraft, Tonsing explained.
It takes longer to get a new jet plane approved to fly passengers. While safety is still paramount, a wig will fly in a lower airspace, over the waves. It is not intended to fly over cities, houses and roads.
Investor Mark Cuban also said in an email to CNBC: “Time is the most valuable asset we don’t have. Regent makes so many difficult trips fast and easy. Its impact will be significant and global.”
While there isn’t much competition in the development of electric sea gliders for passengers like Regent is, there are some electric and hybrid jet ski companies that could compete for similar contracts or funding in the future.
These companies include other developers from WIG Flying Ship Company and DRC Aqualines, along with electric vehicle boat manufacturers such as Pure Watercraft in Seattle, Switzerland-based Candela, and the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company in New Zealand.