Valo, the luxury electric hydrofoil jet

Valo is an electrically-powered watercraft with foils. While it's not the first of its kind - Bird-e-Marine and Neocean have tried their hand at it, for example - it's based on top-of-the-range technologies. This one is the brainchild of Boundary Layer Technologies, a Californian start-up that designs zero-emission foilers to decarbonize maritime transport. Dubbed "hyperfoil" by its designers, this new-generation jet-ski features a Skyride flight and stability controller, developed in-house. This system measures the position, state and behavior of the VNM, then calculates where to position each of the control surfaces and flaps, all 100 times per second.

The Valo is designed to fly from 13 knots, with a top speed of 36 knots. It should reach this speed in 8 seconds. At a cruising speed of 26 knots, it has a range of 68 miles. The Valo can be fully recharged in 3 hours, using a 240-volt car charger. For the moment, no official information has been released on the electric motorization. Articles published in an earlier phase of the project by our Plugboat colleagues suggested a motor equivalent to 110 hp. Thanks to its retractable foils, it can be easily transported on a jet-ski trailer.

The project combines technologies from the aerospace and motor sports industries, as well as from the America's Cup in terms of flight. Valo features L-shaped foils on the bow and an aft rudder with a thruster and T-wing. The boat is made from high-modulus carbon fiber composite, titanium and stainless steel, with a seat in vegan leather. Construction takes place in a workshop in Alameda, California, using parts made in the USA and New Zealand.

The base price of $59,000 is high, but justified by its designers by the advanced electronics, quality materials and foiling system. The first models will be delivered in 2024.