Riding on wavy waters could be a tad difficult for water lovers. Jet Skis and hydrofoil boards remain the most popular watercrafts but they have widely varying capabilities. While Jet Skis power through the water like a motorbike on the road, hydrofoil boards are more adept at cutting through and rising above the surging waves. Having a single machine that can do both is the ultimate dream of many a water lover. WaveFlyer is about to be the first physical manifestation of that dream.
A partnership between the University of Western Australia and Perth-based start-up- Electro Aero, WaveFlyer is billed as the world’s first electric hydrofoil Jet Ski. The amazing watercraft is the closest we have come to merging the best of hydrofoil board and Jet Ski worlds. It’s a dream come true for anyone who would love to have a leisurely ride in wavy waters. Importantly, it tows the same line with eco-friendly Jet Skis that have been in production in Australia since 2015.
Design and Features
While at rest, there is little to suggest the WaveFlyer is any different from the next Jet Ski. But when powered into motion, the watercraft rises to reveal a patent-pending twin hydrofoil propulsion system. As expected, the hydrofoil propulsion system gives WaveFlyer the power to slice through the water and brave the waves.
Capacity
Although the WaveFlyer is yet to be officially released, the prototype videos show it can accommodate two riders. The battery has a capacity of 2 kWh and it can store enough energy to enable the riders enjoy the water for at least 30 minutes.
Eco-friendly
One of the major yardsticks for measuring new inventions is how much harm they do to the environment. Thankfully, the WaveFlyer was designed to be environmentally friendly. If charged from a renewable energy source, WaveFlyer contributes nothing to greenhouse gas emissions. This further makes it safe for riding on the water as there is no danger of poisoning aquatic life with fumes or spills.
The future looks promising
If history is anything to go by, the first one is always the most difficult for inventions like the WaveFlyer. Once the trail is blazed, many other companies would be able to replicate the achievement. The overall result is even more diversity and innovation. The future couldn’t be more promising for Jet Ski-hydrofoil board hybrids.
Pricing info
WaveFlyer is still at the prototype stage and it may take a while before the watercraft is available for sale. As such, little is known about the market value of the watercraft.
Startup
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend to become registered, startups refer to new businesses that intend to grow large beyond the solo founder. At the beginning, startups face high uncertainty and have high rates of failure, but a minority of them do go on to be successful and influential. Some startups become unicorns; that is privately held startup companies valued at over US$1 billion.
Actions
Startups typically begin by a founder (solo-founder) or co-founders who have a way to solve a problem. The founder of a startup will begin market validation by problem interview, solution interview, and building a minimum viable product (MVP), i.e. a prototype, to develop and validate their business models. The startup process can take a long period of time (by some estimates, three years or longer), and hence sustaining effort is required. Over the long term, sustaining effort is especially challenging because of the high failure rates and uncertain outcomes. Having a business plan in place outlines what to do and how to plan and achieve an idea in the future. Typically, these plans outline the first 3 to 5 years of your business strategy.
Design principles
Models behind startups presenting as ventures are usually associated with design science. Design science uses design principles considered to be a coherent set of normative ideas and propositions to design and construct the company's backbone. For example, one of the initial design principles is "affordable loss".
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