Tomas Brødreskift, a 36-year-old resident of Oslo, is believed to be the first to have built an electric seaplane. The industrial designer hopes it can become an environmentally friendly alternative to other means of transport in Norway, which has a long coastline and a lot of seas.
“Just think about a network of efficient and quiet electric seaplanes in the fjords and along the coast, that could also bring folks in to the cities and major airports,” Brødreskift told newspaper VG this week.
He calls his invention a hybrid amfibiefly, and believes it can save time, energy and cut emissions by using the air instead of building expensive roads. He’s been working on the design and construction for the past eight years and admits to being a bit nervous ahead of its test flights this spring.
“But I think it will go well,” Brødresift said. Norway is already a world leader in electric cars, and officials at state-owned Avinor, which runs Norway’s airports, have announced commitments to commercial electric flights, hopefully by the 2030s.
newsinenglish.no staff
