Last year, FRS and the future-oriented company REGENT started off their new cooperation in order to support innovative and pioneering travel concepts. During the Interferry Conference in Seattle, Moritz Bruns (Director Business & Corporate Development of FRS), Billy Thalheimer (CEO of REGENT) and Götz Becker (CEO of FRS) signed the agreement and ordered the new vehicles to expand the FRS fleet in the future (on the picture from left to right).
In 2020, the two MIT graduates Billy Thalheimer and Mike Klinker founded Regent Craft Inc and developed (together with Siemens) a completely new approach of public transportation vehicles. The founder's affinity for and expertise in aviation becomes clear when the sustainable concept of this vessel is introduced.
"We build all-electric seagliders for fast, safe, and low-cost coastal transportation."
The vehicle is a wing-ground-effect craft that combines the advantages of fast traveling of modern airplanes with the economic advantages of ships, called seaglider. It flies within low distance of the water surface and is powered by electric next-gen batteries. Therefore, this unique technology does not have any emissions while operating at 290 kilometres per hour. It offers unprecedented opportunities for public transport between coastal cities that already possess port infrastructure.
REGENT's flagship seaglider, called Viceroy, can carry up to 12 passengers at a time. They are able to cover a distance of 160 nautical miles with electric power and even over 400 nautical miles when propelled by next generation battery technology. Currently, it is scheduled to bring these revolutionary all-electric vehicles into service in 2025 and sea trials with full-scale prototypes of this vessel will start this year already.
The Viceroy
100 % electric, zero emissions
300 km range at battery end-of-life
160 kts (300 kilometres per hour) cruise speed
12 passengers + 2 crew members
The Three Operational Modes
Mode 1: Float
Speed
< 27 kts
Max.
wave height
Comfort: 0.6 m Swell: 2.5 m
Mode 2: Foil
Speed
17-45 kts
Max. wave height
1.5 m
Mode 3: Fly
Speed
35-160 kts
Max.
wave height
3-10 m above
wave peaks
Until now, a prototype of the Viceroy already exists. In the future, REGENT will build and hand over the second commercial vehicle: the Monarch, a ground-effect vehicle designed to carry up to 100 passengers.
In comparison to previous ground-effect vessels the Seagliders have a lot of advantages such as maneuverability in port. The innovative vehicles move only few meters above the water surface, flying on a cushion of air, and therefore offer a better wave tolerance. As Seagliders are classified as maritime vehicles, they only need to be tested and certified according to the regulations designed for this purpose. These requirements can be met more quickly than the regulations for electric aviation.
FRS is looking forward to this promising and future-oriented cooperation.
