The Maldives Is Getting a Fleet of 100 Electric Water Taxis From Navier
Navier is quietly expanding across the high seas.
The San Francisco-based start-up, cofounded by former NASA researcher and MIT engineer Sampriti Bhattacharyya in 2020, plans to deploy 100 electric vessels across the Maldives to enable emissions-free travel between airports, resorts, and local islands. As Navier puts it, it will serve as “an ultra-efficient, black-car fleet of the sea.”
Navier said it signed a contract valued at approximately $100 million with JIH Global—a Dubai-based investment firm behind some of the top hospitality projects in the Maldives—to roll out the vessels over the next three years in what could become the first large-scale test of electric maritime transit infrastructure. Maldives-based developer HARIM will be the operator.
Conventional gas-powered ferries and boats are currently the primary mode of transportation in the Indian Ocean archipelago, carrying residents and tourists to locations spread across 35,000 square miles of ocean. Navier’s battery-powered water taxis represent a cleaner, more efficient alternative for ocean travel.
“The Maldives has always been at the frontier of luxuryLuxuryA lifestyle defined by exceptional quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sophistication, encompassing the finest products, services, and experiences that represent the highest standards of refinement and excellence.Go to Luxury Glossary tourism, but as an island nation on the front lines of climate change, we also have an opportunity to help define what the future of waterborne transportation looks like,” Mohamed Ali Janah, chairman of JIH Global Investment, said in a statement. “With Navier, we see the potential to build not only a cleaner, more seamless network connecting airports, resorts, villas, and islands, but a scalable blueprint for sustainable maritime transportation, extending beyond the Maldives to island nations and coastal cities around the world.”
Navier’s flagship, the N30, is a 30-foot electric foiling yacht that can carry up to eight passengers and a driver. It glides four feet above the water on three carbon foils that boost speed and efficiency while minimizing wake and drag. The vessel’s sensors feed information about wave conditions to software that then adjusts the foils up to 50 times per second to ensure a smooth ride. The driver is in charge of speed and steering, but the active foiling system takes care of the rest.
The boat is equipped with two 90 kW electric motors that allow it to hit 35 knots at full tilt and cover 75 nautical miles at 22 knots. It offers three modes—Cruise, Sport, and Economy—to match conditions or pilot preference, with features like autodocking making for stress-free operation. Thanks to the foils and the diminished drag, the zero-emissions cruiser, Navier claims, is 10 times more efficient than traditional gas-powered boats. “It is the most advanced electric marine vessel for sure,” Bhattacharyya previously told Robb Report.
Navier is also developing larger models measuring 60 and 120 feet, along with a 30-foot hybrid with diesel-electric propulsion for long-distance cruising. These personal yachts are a way to fine-tune technology, according to Bhattacharyya. She hopes Navier can eventually roll out electric water taxis and barges to transport people and goods in coastal cities globally. The Maldives network is certainly a solid start. Five boats are scheduled for delivery to the archipelago this year, marking the beginning of her grand plan.
This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.