CrossWater Autonomous Electric Personal Ferry Is Way Cool

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

CrossWater is an autonomous, electrically-powered floating horizontal elevator designed to traverse bodies of water safely and comfortably. Imagine if people in New Jersey didn’t need to cross the George Washington Bridge or use the Lincoln Tunnel to get to Manhattan every day. Instead, they could go down to the banks of the Hudson River and be whisked across in a matter of minutes. Pair the CrossWater with bicycle sharing on both sides of the river and millions of trips by car could be eliminated every year.

CrossWater autonomous taxi
CrossWater autonomous taxi, image credit: CrossWater

That’s the thinking behind CrossWater, a solar-powered, autonomous aquatic passenger pod developed by a team comprised of entrepreneurs, inventors, industrial designers, naval architects, electronics engineers, mechanical engineers and software engineers. It is just a dream at this point, but a dream backed by a crowdfunding campaign designed to get it off the ground (or on the water, if you prefer) and attract the attention of major investors and governments.

Wait, aren’t floating things inherently unstable and uncomfortable? What about all that spray from the hull that gets blown back on the passengers? CrossWater has thought about all those things and says it has the solution. The pods are self-stabilizing and fully enclosed. Heated in winter and cooled in summer, they offer safe passage in all weather conditions. “Working via autopilot, it controls itself for safe and fast transportation across water on-demand. You stand in place, the same way that you would stand in an elevator, and CrossWater takes care of the rest. Fully electric, it runs on sustainable energy (always charging through the solar panels in the roof) without emitting any unpleasant noises or vibrations,” the company says.

CrossWater graphic
Image credit: CrossWater

Here are the technical specifications:

  • Propulsion: DeepSpeed Electric Jet
  • Range: 250+ miles or 400+ miles
  • Cruising speed: 10 knots
  • Top speed: 19 knots
  • Capacity: May be configured to carry up to 15 people
  • Display: 32″ or 49″ touch screen
  • Audio System: Premium audio with a total of 18 speakers
  • Apps: YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, Apple Music, Google Maps, Games.
  • Climate control: Included
  • Anemometer & Thermometer: Included
  • Wave & current cancellation: Included
  • Solar roof: Optional
  • Livery: Matte Black, Snow White, Custom Livery
  • Pricing: $49,900(Normal Range) or $69,900 (Long Range)
  • Order requirement: $100 fully refundable deposit

CrossWater says its autonomous water taxis are job creators for local communities, which makes sense. Since the dawn of history, humans have congregated along the rivers, lakes, and streams that were the original avenues of commerce. Jobs tend to be where the people are.

If the idea seems farfetched, it is no more so than electric flying taxis. It could provide another emissions-free option for peripatetic humans who need to get from one place to another, especially when the start and end points are separated by water. If you feel like contributing to this project, you can do so at the CrossWater home page. You could help pioneer an important new transportation technology that reduces the influence of internal combustion engines.

CrossWater
Image credit: CrossWater

Hat tip to CleanTechnica reader Jason King.


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new."

Steve Hanley has 5437 posts and counting. See all posts by Steve Hanley