Stripe commuters swap traffic jams for hydrofoil glam San Francisco-based employees of financial services firm Stripe will soon have an alternative to their automotive commute thanks to Navier, a startup building electric hydrofoil boats. Well, a few of them anyway. Once Navier starts offering ferry services from Larkspur, California, on the north end of the San Francisco Bay to …
"They're in SF... so probably solar."
As an additional load on the grid, any assessment should use grid average unless renewables are constrained by demand. About 44% of grid elec in California comes from gas turbines, wind and solar are about 25%, with coal, nuclear, biomass, hydro and geothermal the rest. So it's likely that average emissions are in the region 180-220 g/kWh.
"Hydrofoil boats, for anyone unfamiliar with the technology, have propellers mounted on a set of wing-like foils that extend under the body of the craft. Once at cruising speeds the foils lift the boat out of the water, meaning the ride should be smooth and chop-free. "
Well, not exactly. When a hydrofoil travels through choppy water, the waves hitting the struts connecting the hull to the hydrofoils transmit the impact to the craft. One of the bumpiest channel crossings I remember was in a hydrofoil. It was fast though, but not smooth.
Still, best of luck to Stripe as hydrofoils create far smaller bow waves than conventional hulls.
"Well, not exactly. When a hydrofoil travels through choppy water, the waves hitting the struts connecting the hull to the hydrofoils transmit the impact to the craft. One of the bumpiest channel crossings I remember was in a hydrofoil. It was fast though, but not smooth."
Travelling on Sydney Harbour (AU) to Manly from Circular Quay (and back) on a hydroil as a child I recall it was about the roughest (bumpy) passage as any. The Jetcats that replaced the hydrofoils weren't exactly smooth but probably not as bad. The conventional Freshwater class ferries are?/were the comfortable, even elegant way to make the journey. You could enjoy a beer from the bar and watch the sun set on the homeward commute. I can also vouch that these old ladies were no slouches on the open sea having travelled from Sydney to Port Kembla on one.
Just remembered that if you want a really smooth ride in a boat, you should try the Steam Yacht Gondola in Coniston Water, Cumbria, UK. I was on it and it was so calm that it felt like I was still and the world was just passing by. It was designed to travel well into and down wind, so can get a bit rocky turning round. The interior decoration of the cabins is based on a royal railway carriage for Victoria, so very nice.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/lake-district/steam-yacht-gondola
...yes, after the sunk cost of the R&D and purchase price have been covered :-)
Also, Up to 12 passengers, already operating in Belfast.
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