“Flying Over Water”: The Reason this Electric Boat-Car Hybrid will Behave Like an Aircraft
At least for those who live near water, flying cars and having to pick between land and marine transportation are things of the past.
Poseidon AmphibWorks, a San Diego and Miami-based startup, aims to transform the car-boat vehicle by providing an experience that promises to be peaceful, regardless of whether you’re in a busy harbor or on a congested freeway. CEO and founder Steve Tice stated that he set out to design a vehicle for the daily commute, given that the majority of amphibious vehicles on the market today move over water as unevenly as a jet ski.
Tice and amphibious vehicle specialist Andy Langesfeld have been developing the Trident LS-1 since 2021. Being a hydrofoil, the machine has blades, or vanes, that raise the boat’s body to provide a more comfortable ride. Because the hull is out of the water, hydrofoils produce steadier turns and eliminate 60% of the drag oversea, according to Tice.
According to the business, the Trident LS-1 will be the first hydrofoil electric car-boat in the world made to stop seasickness brought on by a vessel’s unpredictable motion on water.
“People that couldn’t even ride in small boats will finally be able to ride without any motion sickness. So basically flying over the water,” Poseidon AmphibWorks founder Steve Tice recently told. “Because gravity is still pushing you through your rear end, you still feel like you’re on an airplane. When you make a turn you don’t feel strange, it feels natural.”
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A four-person car-boat with three wheels
Along a launching ramp, the electric three-wheel vehicle may drive straight onto the ocean at a top speed of 95 mph on land. The Trident LS-1 will use multi-modal transportation to get those who live near water to their place of employment or to go fishing for the weekend.
According to Tice, the car has three fixed seats: a driver’s seat in the middle and two back seats. There is also a center fold-down seat.
An important criterion for the engineering company is that drivers will be able to park the seven-foot-long vehicle in their garage. Additionally, the car eliminates the need for a tow truck, which has the risk of collapsing into the sea when releasing a boat.
According to Tice, the business decided that in order to prevent adding unnecessary weight and preserve the steadiness of any four-wheeler, the vehicle would only have three wheels.The air bags, several cameras, and tubular metal roll cage that are essential safety features will all be included in the car-boat.
Virtually soaring over water
The Trident LS-1 is a car-boat that moves like an aircraft because it is a hydrofoil. The vehicle guarantees that riders dodge all the ripples of 1- to 2-foot waves, even though it is not designed for high surf.
“You’re basically flying over the water at about 3 feet,” Tice stated.
Tice explained that when driving on land, the hydrofoil’s vanes, or blades, retract within the car to protect them from rocks and other debris on the road. Depending on the water’s depth, users can adjust how many of the vanes are deployed as they’re traveling on it.
Additionally, it is a “very maneuverable boat” that can move in any direction or remain motionless over water thanks to its quick-turning thrusters.
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Car to be sold for between $100,000 and $130,000
According to Tice, the Trident LS-1 will retail for $100,000 when it is marketed directly to consumers.
For about an extra $30,000, Poseidon AmphibWorks will collaborate with several dealers who will offer maintenance and local assistance.
Anyone can take a ride in the car-boat with a valid driver’s license and boat registration.
“You don’t need a special license,” Tice said. “We are certainly going to train people. We don’t want them to crash this thing.”
According to the manufacturer, the car will be popular with a variety of consumers, including those who live by rivers, on islands, or along the coast.It will also appeal to boat owners who don’t want to navigate their home to shore to buy groceries, as well as RV owners who can do away with the hassle of towing two vehicles. He added that for those who own electric cars, it makes the ideal beginning boat.
The business is investigating delivery services, commercial taxi use, and military interest.
Trident LS-1 enters the car-boat league
The Trident LS-1 is by no means the first car-boat, and they are hardly the way of the future.
In the 1960s, the Amphicar was constructed in Germany. The heavy amphibious vehicle, despite its diminutive size, can go at 70 mph on land and 7 mph on water.
The first WaterCar was unveiled in 1999, and in 2007 it set a new record for fastest amphibious vehicle when it reached 60 mph in the water and 127 mph on land.
The Amphi-Ranger, Gibbs High Speed Amphibians, Hobbycar, and Dutton are a few other amphibious vehicles.
Prototype will be finished later in the year
According to Tice, the prototype’s designers are still working on the design and have not yet begun construction. Tice stated that the prototype should be completed by year’s end.
“By December 2024, we will have a prototype in the water here in San Diego,” he stated.
The business intends to start taking deposits for the cars by that time. In December 2025, the business will start selling to clients in California so that, in the event that they require assistance, they can go to their San Diego site. According to Tice, clients from outside California should be able to pick up a Trident-LS1 in California at that time as well. The business plans to begin shipping to customers outside of California by June 2025.
“It’s not a vehicle for everybody,” he stated. “But if you’re within a distance of a body of water that you’d like to recreate at or wish you could, there’s your first boat.”
