If playing with electricity underwater doesn't seem crazy enough, a Swiss company is suggesting an even more mind-boggling combination: the world's first solar submarine. We wonder if they've designed windows that open.
Energy giant BKW-FMB is looking for investors ready to pony up almost $9 million to start work on Projekt Goldfisch, which consists of a floating Goldport "power island" of photovoltaic panels that will channel electricity to the submersibles running below. Since the price tag on your average nuclear-powered Virginia-class sub starts at around $2.5 billion, we suspect BKW will spend its investment on a newer copy of Photoshop. The laughable renderings the company provided were obviously worked out on an Amiga.
As for the sub itself, someone at BKW has an incredible sense of humor and a penchant for late '70s Bond films or the company is anticipating a rise in the number of villains needing awesome hideouts. Either way, we're ready to jump in the submersible Lotus Esprit and pop a Carly Simon cassette in the tape deck.
The company says the sub would draw power from a floating solar array of five generators, each with 430-square feet of panels. A GPS tracking system would tell the sub where to surface when it needs to recharge, which makes us wonder — would a dead Goldfisch float belly-up? Once charged, BKW says, the sub could dive to depths approaching 1,000 feet and reach a top speed of 5 knots (not quite 6 mph).
When word of the solar sub reached Autopia, we were sure of only one thing: one will end up in Dubai. Sure enough, BKW envisions the Goldfisch as yet another attraction at the ship-shaped Burj Al Arab Hotel, which already features solar boats and a submarine restaurant. BKW says (.pdf) the Goldfisch will bring guests "into contact with the attractive idea of emission free mobility." We think its message of sustainability will fit in with the helipad and man-made roadway connecting the hotel with the mainland.
If the underwater tourism market isn't recession-proof, we don't see too many other uses for this green submarine. The US military could benefit from the sub's ability to disappear from view of would-be attackers -- except for that giant tower of power. Perhaps energy-challenged North Korea could use the Goldfisch to shuttle the ailing Kim Jong Il from his underwater lair to medical treatment, or a couple of NPR writers could use news of the improbable submersible to stump B-list celebrities and politicos on Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me.
Time to unleash your inner Ian Fleming: Let us know how you'd use the Goldfisch.
Images: BKW-FMB.
POST UPDATED 10:15 a.m. PST.
Above: The floating solar array.
BKW says the Goldfisch could shuttle tourists around Dubai....
... ferry passengers in Shanghai...
... or show passengers what it's like under Sydney Harbor while simultaneously providing energy for the city's renowned opera hall.
"Devo hat with lollipops" that was on the tip of my tongue. I like the concept. It could lead to something that really works...maayybbee.
Wow, what a great concept. Seems logical to me.
Check out this site for these subs. Most of their actual business seems to be tourist subs.
A SOLAR submarine? What happens when you're 100 ft. below water and there's not enough light to power a lightbulb?
Hey, I've got a really radical idea! A submarine that is powered by water!
No, seriously, I mean, water is full of hydrogen, right? So, the sub could use the surrounding water to make hydrogen cells to power itself!
IIRC, hydrogen cells require a lot of power to make, so I guess they'd need some way to get that...maybe...oh! They could use nuclear power to create the hydrogen cells!
The sarcastic tone of this article is hilarious, but it seems a little misplaced coming from a blog that touts a $109,000 electric roadster with performance figures rivaling that of a four-cylinder Civic as the wave of the future. (Oh okay, so it does 0-60 in half the time, still 125 mph top speed? Laaaaamme!!1!!1! :)
1. Solar powered sub meets a 6 knot current - bye, bye sub.
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2. Most of the underwater world is murky and boring. It is not all clear water and tropical reefs. A surface ferry has better scenery.
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3. That recharge station is more funnel shaped than the Devo hat. Just whip it.
Okaaaaayyy, that was;
1 sarcastic
2 very odd
3 an idea i had but disissed as unusable
YOu know why? because get a load of this.... WATER ISN"T CLEAR!!!! i like the floating idea, but it will get tangled up and slow the sub down, especially if the sub is 1k feet down. better to make nuke subs than this. Til they can understand that, this will not work. Plus siz knots is laughable.... is that with the lights on too?
Dude...those renderings are super-pro.
Hey, don't be dissing the Amiga!
@aj
lame?! *for shame*.. be real... 125 is plenty fast.. especially while making no more noise than what the tires make...
i am curious if the sub will be available in themes.. like barbarella, or bond, or (insert 70's movie here). it would be more interesting if it wasn't a spartan boat, and more of a "impress someone with your luxury underwater" boat
@LW
You are entitled to your opinion, but a 125 mph top speed in a $109k roadster is pitiful in my opinion. It is important to remember that a top speed is achieved on a closed course under ideal conditions, a situation rarely encountered on public roads, which implies that its practical operational top speed is probably significantly less than that. If I am going to spend six figures on a sports car, it is ridiculous to expect me to buy one with a top speed comparable to a $20k sport compact, even if it is capable of breaking my neck in 0-60 acceleration. While you may see noiseless operation as a boon, I personally enjoy the aural and tactile feedback provided by a finely tuned ICE exhaust system. To each, their own.
Keep in mind that it is a 100% ELECTRIC sports car.
they should invent a sea-water powered sub first...
Actually, it's not that bad an idea, since the charger is on the water's surface. And since its to be used for casual tourism, not real deep missions, it is actually a good device for its not a pointless commercial waste of fuel.
The only thing I'd want is one sub being able to charge another sub. That way if someone takes over the controls and plays too long and they are stuck, they just send another sub to give them a boost to get back to the charger.
So what happens when the captain has a little cocktail and accidentally docks just a little to fast with that big glass nose cone?
So what happens when the captain has a little cocktail and accidentally docks just a little to fast with that big glass nose cone?
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WTF? Looks like a Devo hat with lollipops.