Superyacht design studio Nuvolari Lenard has designed a green luxury water taxi for Venetian waters.
Named Thunder, the 9.2 metre, 14 seat hybrid luxury water taxi has been designed as a solution to the pollution problems facing the historic city.
Studio co-founder Carlo Nuvolari explained that both he and Lenard “have experienced first-hand the damage that is being caused to [Venice’s] delicate structures, through air and noise pollution, as well as physical erosion.”
The taxi came about after Nuvolari and Lenard held a forum to discuss potential designs at the 2019 Venice Boat Show.
“Diesel electric hybrid propulsion seemed to be the most logical solution for Venice’s particular requirements,” Nuvolari explained.
Concerns over short battery life will be negated by the water taxis' regular trips to the airport. Here “they travel at speeds of up to 30 knots using diesel, which gives the batteries time to recharge”. When the taxi returns to the city, it will rely only on stored electric power, he said.
The first unit of the 9.2 metre taxi has already been built at Cantieri Vizianello in Venice and has been requested to be used as a limousine tender for a superyacht client.
Nuvolari Lenard also announced plans for a “prototype experimental project” with Hyundai that would involve the use of a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system. Discussions on this project are set to continue this June.
“Pushing boundaries in design and technology for marine transportation is something we try to do each day with our superyacht, production yacht and custom yacht projects,” Nuvolari said.