Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. She is now based in Seattle near Boeing Field and spends her free time exploring nature in the Pacific Northwest.

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Hanneke Weitering

Rhode Island-based Regent Craft has demonstrated that its Seaglider family of electric and hybrid-electric wing-in-ground-effect maritime vessels can recharge in locations without traditional grid infrastructure, a capability the company says could expand operational range for commercial operators and defense customers.
The demonstration was conducted with Schneider Electric, a French multinational that specializes in energy management and automation technology, and World4Solar, a Nevada-based manufacturer of solar-powered battery storage systems. According to Regent, Schneider Electric contributed high-power charging hardware, while World4Solar supplied batteries that served as the power source.
Regent’s three-component remote charging system pairs World4Solar’s modular battery storage units—freestanding structures designed for rapid deployment at sites without existing power infrastructure—with Schneider Electric’s charging hardware adapted for off-grid maritime use. A direct-current architecture connects the two, delivering power to the Seaglider without converting it to AC and back again. According to Regent, this process reduces energy losses associated with conventional charging setups.&nbsp;
Seagliders could also run the process in reverse, drawing on their onboard power generation to charge sensors aboard the vessel or deliver energy to equipment at remote sites, according to the company.
“Seagliders are designed to unlock fast, efficient maritime mobility across the world’s coastal regions, and charging flexibility is a critical part of making that vision a reality,” said Regent co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer. “Working with Schneider Electric, we’re showing how Seagliders can operate beyond traditional infrastructure.”
For commercial passenger or freight operations, the remote-charging capability could open routes to destinations that lack the port infrastructure to support high-power electric charging, the company said. For defense customers, it addresses the logistical challenge of powering maritime missions in locations far from established bases.
“In contested and austere environments, power is a mission-critical resource,” said Tom Huntley, general manager of Regent’s defense division. “The ability for Seagliders to not only operate from distributed locations, but also to bring energy forward to support expeditionary basing, communications, sensors, and other mission systems, creates new flexibility for maritime forces. This demonstration is an important step toward enabling more resilient, distributed operations across the littorals.”
Regent’s flagship model, the Viceroy Seaglider, is a wing-in-ground-effect vessel designed to carry 12 passengers or up to 3,500 pounds of cargo while skimming roughly 30 feet above the water’s surface at a cruise speed of 160 knots. At service entry, Regent expects the all-electric Viceroy to offer a range of 160 nm, and the company claims that next-generation battery technology will ultimately extend that range to 400 nm.
The company aims to bring the Viceroy to market in 2027 and has secured more than $10 billion in commercial orders, including provisional orders <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2026-02-05/brazils-synerjet-orders-regents-electric-seaglider">from Synerjet</a> in Brazil and <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2025-05-14/urbanlink-orders-20-more-viceroy-electric-seagliders-regent">UrbanLink</a> in South Florida. It also holds $15 million in <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2025-11-17/us-marines-trial-regents-seaglider-rescue-missions">U.S. Marine Corps</a> contracts.
Regent <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2026-03-16/regent-resumes-trial-operations-electric-seagliders">resumed trial operations</a> with the full-scale Viceroy prototype in March after spending the winter season making design improvements and reviewing data from the 2025 flight test campaign. The team began flight-testing a smaller autonomous variant called Squire in April. The company is preparing to conduct its first crewed flights with the Viceroy later this year. Regent is also working through the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2025-03-21/regent-submits-seaglider-approval-plan-us-coast-guard">regulatory approval process with the U.S. Coast Guard</a> and plans to open a 255,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility in Rhode Island this year.

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