Media

Summary

REGENT builds seagliders: the first form of zero-emission, high-speed, coastal transportation. REGENT's flagship vehicle will safely transport commercial passengers by 2025.

Branding

While our company is “REGENT Craft Inc.”, we refer to ourselves simply as “REGENT”. We use all caps because it is technically an acronym: Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport. We still call ourselves the name REGENT, like NASA or NOAA.

We build seagliders (lowercase “s”). Seagliders are a new type of wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) vehicle that use hydrofoils and distributed propulsion systems. Since seagliders are a new class of vehicle, we do not capitalize the name.

Key Stats

Our first vehicle will carry 12 passengers and our next will carry at least 50 passengers. With existing battery technology, both variants will have a 180 mile range and 180 mph top speed. The vehicles will be as safe as aircraft and have better wave and wind tolerance than existing seaplanes and WIGs.

Certification

Our first vehicle is projected to operate under Coast Guard jurisdiction. Our design basis agreement with the Coast Guard is in process, and we maintain a close line of communication with both the Coast Guard (Office of Engineering Standards) and FAA (Emerging Concepts & Innovation group). Over time, a collaborative approach between aviation and maritime authorities is key to deploy seagliders at scale.

Advantage

Seagliders are half the cost of aircraft and 6x faster than ferries, with less noise and zero emissions. Seagliders have double the range of similar sized electric aircraft, thanks to aerodynamic and operational efficiencies.

eVTOL Ecosystem

We applaud the efforts to make Urban Air Mobility a reality. We envision a future where seagliders and eVTOLs work in tandem to create an all-electric, multi-modal transportation system. Seagliders will provide regional coastal connectivity, eVTOLs will provide terminal urban connectivity, and all will share charging infrastructure at transportation hubs.

Funding

REGENT is a venture backed startup with with financing led by Thiel Capital and JAM Fund. We're supported by additional industry-leading financiers including Mesa Air Group, Mark Cuban, Y Combinator, Founders Fund, Caffeinated Capital, and Fitbit founder James Park. We are well-funded, with significant runway, and are continuing to grow our world-class team from across the aviation and maritime industries.

Traction

We have a sales book of over $7.9 Billion from airlines and ferry companies, including firm deposits for the first seaglider deliveries. We have been flight testing our maritime detect-and-avoid solution, and we are on pace for the first flight of our 1⁄4 scale prototype by Q3 2022.