[Video] "Flying taxi" defies gravity and hovers over a Dutch river
By Rachel Deloughry
A French vehicle company was testing its new gravity-defying taxi in the Dutch town of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht last week. In the video, this “flying taxi” rises 70cm above the water on the river Noord. The vehicle is called SeaBubbles and was invented by Frenchman Alain Thebault, with the aim to reduce pollution associated with motor vehicles.
Rising above the water makes the machine move efficiently by reducing water drag by 40 percent. The SeaBubbles taxi could be the next big thing to tackle traffic jams and car pollution: it's silent, it's proven not to erode river banks and it doesn't give out toxic emissions like the standard existing water taxis.
SeaBubbles is 100 percent electric and has huge potential in developing a move towards eco-transport. This is much needed in the population-dense Dutch cities and the country’s interlinked canals could provide the perfect runways for this innovative piece of engineering.
Video credit: Ruptly
Lifestyle editor at IamExpat for the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Rachel has her finger on the pulse of what's happening in the realm of festivals, exhibitions, concerts and markets. She received her Master of Music from Utrecht Conservatory and before that, earned a Bachelor of Music in Ireland. She is passionate about music, painting and design.Read more