REGENT, a company developing an electric seaglider for sustainable high-speed maritime travel , and TotalEnergies, a French oil and gas giant, have partnered up to explore the use of REGENT’s all-electric seaglider for maritime travel to offshore wind and oil platforms.
According to REGENT, seagliders - described as a mix between a boat and a plane - are a new category of electric vehicle that operate exclusively over the water that will "drastically reduce the time and cost of moving people and goods between coastal cities."
The company says Seagliders could service routes up to 180 miles at up to 180 mph with existing battery technology and up to 500 miles with next-generation batteries, via existing dock infrastructure.
Commenting on the collaboration with TotalEnergies, REGENT said: "The collaboration will comprise robust information exchange, active requirements development, and use-case validation."
“One of the core questions of the 21st century is how we will meet our energy needs. Connecting our first-of-its-kind all-electric seaglider with a company as deeply committed to exploring the future of energy as TotalEnergies is tremendously exciting and as natural a partnership as we could envision,” said REGENT CEO Billy Thalheimer. “The REGENT seaglider promises to make maritime travel faster, more cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable. By collaborating with industry leaders like TotalEnergies, we are advancing towards the global transition to clean transportation.”
The partners will identify global offshore energy sites and pilot the REGENT seaglider along a route to a selected platform. Following the initial pilot, REGENT and TotalEnergies will explore new routes and conduct additional pilots to drive forward longer-term cooperation opportunities.
Ludovic Macé, Manager Logistics and Support to Operations: “We are excited to work with REGENT to explore new avenues for the deployment of all-electric seaglider technology that aims to make maritime transit greener and more efficient. This partnership is part of TotalEnergies' strategy to be a key player in electric mobility. and aligns with our strategic goals of reducing our carbon footprint and improving safety and operational efficiency."