Gibbs Technologies shows off latest vehicle to US military
By Esther Goh,
Kiwi entrepreneur and rich-lister Alan Gibbs has unveiled his latest amphibious vehicle in Washington DC, which he says has potential for military use as well as emergency and humanitarian responses.
Gibbs Technologies' 10m, 500-horsepower Phibian was displayed on the Potomac River, in front of US military engineers ahead of the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) annual conference yesterday.
Constructed primarily of carbon fibre, the Phibian offers all-terrain capability on land. When transitioning from land to water, the wheels retract and dual jet propulsion kicks in, which Gibbs says delivers performance equal to that of purpose-built patrol and rescue boats
The Phibians are capable of travelling at up to 130km/h on land and more than 60km/h on water
Gibbs said the vehicle had been developed for general transport, search and rescue and law enforcement operations.
“When conducting search and rescue missions, whether it be for an
individual or following a natural disaster, time is of the essence,”
he said.
“A vehicle that can perform as well as a multi-terrain vehicle on land while reaching planing speeds on the water means that response will be significantly faster and more seamless.”
Gibbs built his first amphibious vehicle in 1995 so he could drive his boat from the water to his bach without the need for a trailer.
Gibbs Technologies has been developing amphibious vehicles since 1996 and holds more than 100 patents but is yet to deliver a product to a customer.
The Phibian is the company's fourth high-speed amphibious vehicle.
Another Gibbs invention, the Aquada, launched with a bang in 2004 when Sir Richard Branson used one to set a new record for crossing the English Channel.
Comments
Michael Smythe
Great to see this product hit the market after a $200M* investment over 16 years!
[*That's the figure Alan Gibbs quoted on Close Up - not sure what currency …]
For the record, the amphibian Gibbs built to gross the mudflats of the Kaipara was not the ancestor of the Aquada or the Phibian. He abandoned his approach when he came upon Terry Roycroft's breakthrough Sealander in mid-1995 and bought the patents.
Anyone interested in the full backstory should read NEW ZEALAND BY DESIGN pp.396-399.
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