A new seaglider transportation network could roll out in Hawaii as soon as 2025.
Boston-based REGENT and Pacific Current, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Electric Industries, are jointly funding a feasibility study, led by SMS Research in Honolulu, that will focus on the economic benefits, environmental benefits and challenges of introducing the seagliders for both interisland and intraisland travel. Seagliders are a new category of all-electric maritime vehicles that operates within a wingspan of the water's surface.
EKNA Services, a Honolulu-based engineering and construction management firm, will include a detailed analysis of various ports and harbors. Additionally, Mokulele Airlines will be the project's launch partner and intends to bring a fleet of REGENT’s 12-passenger Viceroy seagliders to the Islands.
The seaglider will be able to service routes up to 180 miles with existing battery technology and up to 500 miles with next-generation batteries, with existing dock infrastructure, according to officials.
REGENT began the project with a "community listening tour" last summer, and key members of the REGENT management team have spent nearly a year engaging with public, private and civic sector stakeholders.
"We believe seagliders will be game changing in multiple ways for Hawaii, but we want to make sure we conduct our due diligence and do our homework, which means listening to the residents of Hawaii," REGENT co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer told Pacific Business News.
"We have received positive feedback so far," he said. "Increasing accessibility to sustainable mobility transportation options is a key issue central to Hawaii and we believe that guiding principle will continue to support green transportation because people are excited and really want to see this change, but we're not skipping any steps."
Thalheimer said the feasibility study, which began a few weeks ago and the first phase of which is estimated to be finished in October, is the immediate next step in the process.
"This study is specific to Hawaii — it will look at routes, wave states, wind states, harbors and docks, charging infrastructure, noise above and below the water, impact on Hawaii's communities, and the impact on the flora and fauna," he said. "We're also keeping an eye on the bigger energy and economic picture for Hawaii. We're looking at how seagliders can serve as a catalyst for the exploration of renewable energy sources and move the state further along in achieving its sustainability goals, while also attracting more private investment in Hawaii."
Thalheimer said after the study is complete, the organizations will work to develop the appropriate infrastructure and obtain the appropriate approvals and permits.
While REGENT is targeting a 2025 commercial rollout, Thalheimer said, that the results of the feasibility study will determine the regulatory and permitting process and that it's "too early to provide an exhaustive list of government agencies that [we] will be working with to establish the seaglider network."
He did say that the company most likely will work with the state Department of Transportation, Department of Land and Natural Resource and potentially the Army Corps of Engineers, and that the seagliders would be regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard — which also would need to certify safety and certification training for seaglider captains.
“Joining forces with REGENT represents a huge opportunity for Pacific Current and HEI to significantly increase our clean energy and clean transportation impact,” Scott Valentino, president of Pacific Current said in a statement.
“The upfront capital costs associated with a transition of this magnitude are immense and often this is a gating factor for wider adoption," he said. "We hope to enable local service providers in passenger, freight and emergency services lower the price of passenger travel, and the costs of moving goods and services throughout the state. We are proud to play a small role in the state’s transition to a clean energy future.”
There currently is no cost estimate for the transportation network.
“The REGENT seaglider is a complete game changer for the state of Hawaii,” Stan Little, CEO of Mokulele, said in a statement. “Not only can this vehicle help the state meet its sustainability and resiliency goals more quickly, but this will enable our airline to offer new services that aren’t possible today. The seaglider network gives us the ability to stand up a fast, convenient affordable transportation solution that will not require passengers to have to go to an airport. Just imagine going from Kona Harbor to downtown Honolulu in less than 55 minutes door to door.
"The partnership between REGENT and Pacific Current allows us to do what we do best, and that is to provide local communities across the state with safe, convenient transportation for their leisure, business and medical travel needs,” he said.
When asked how the seaglider effort is similar — or dissimilar — to the ill-fated Superferry, which began its Oahu, Kauai and Maui service in August 2007, and was shut down after less than two years of operation, Thalheimer said it's important to note REGENT and its partners are working to understand the challenges and concerns from stakeholders.
"Having a seaglider network in Hawaii must ultimately be a community decision," he said. "That’s why we are conducting a thorough feasibility study and collecting valuable information that we plan to share with the community when the first phase of the study is completed in October. The data that we collect may also be incorporated into an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. Listening to the community and ongoing conversation are very important to us."
