Gibbs Quadski Launched
Gibbs Quadski Launched
June 16, 2007
By: Press Release
A prototype of the Quadski, the newest release from Gibbs Technologies, the New Zealand inventor of the Aquada, was released today. The Quadski is an amphibious quad bike/ATV capable of negotiating virtually all terrestrial surfaces and converting to a jet ski personal water craft at the press of a button. The first model is making its way to the United States, where it will be turning heads and grabbing headlines as the world sees its potential.
Quadski, which is capable of travelling up to 50 mph (72 kph) on land and water, features a proprietary marine jet propulsion system and utilises over 60 patented elements in its application of Gibbs’ patented HSA technology. Quadski’s fuel tank allows it to travel for up to two hours on water and has a land range of 600 kilometres.
The rapid transition from land to water takes less than five seconds and is operated by a flick of a switch: on entering water the wheels are retracted into the body of the vehicle. Quadski is powered by a 140 BHP petrol engine, which provides drive to the wheels on land and a marine jet on water.
Quadski shares the same Gibbs’ patented HSA technology with the recently launched Aquada – the amphibian car which set the water speed record for amphibian craft, as well as the world record for crossing the English Channel – and the Humdinga, a five-seater, four-wheel drive vehicle capable of travelling up to 80 mph (130 kph) on land and 45 mph (70 kph) on water.
Designed by a New Zealand-based team, the Quadski shares a number of features with the Aquada. When entering the water, the driver can retract the wheels into the housing within the vehicle’s body and detach them from the steering column, all at just the touch of a button. Transition time is a maximum of five seconds.
Gibbs Technologies intends to license the design and technology.
Commenting on the launch of the Quadski prototype, Alan Gibbs, the founder of Gibbs Technologies Ltd. said, “Quadski is both exciting and practical with a multitude of uses”.
“I know consumers will love the fun of driving a Quadski on land one minute and then head straight into the sea or river the next. But there is a very serious side to Quadski as well: emergency services and aid workers will be able to reach areas and people no two or four wheel drive vehicle could reach.”
Web Site: http://www.gibbstech.co.uk/mediacentre/quadski.php