Since taking office in 2014, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has been on a quest of sorts to make the City of Light greener, and she's been doing so by encouraging urban gardening,converting a riverside expressway into a pedestrian-only walkway, and more. Now, she's given the green light for an innovation that's more Jetsons-style futurism than standardeco-friendly city fare. Say hello to the Sea Bubble, an egg-shaped zero-emission vehicle that would float down the Seine shuttling passengers across the city—all while avoidingParis's serious traffic problems.

The Sea Bubble is the invention of French yacht-enthusiast Alain Thébault and Swedish windsurfer Anders Bringdal, and is set to begin trials along the Seine in the spring of 2017. According to his website, the Sea Bubble is an idea Thébault has been toying with for over 20 years, inspired by months spent on open water imagining the possibilities unlocked if a sailboat could fly. The final spark of innovation came from close to home. "The idea actually came from my daughters after I sailed from L.A. to Hawaii recently," Thébault told The Local. "They told me to invent a zero-emission cab because they were sick of seeing the pollution in Paris, London, and in the U.S." Now, after partnering with engineers and designers, a prototype is right around the corner and it will fly... Sort of.

Here's how it works. The Sea Bubble, with seating for five people, is built with lightweight components made of fiberglass and high-density foam, along with four foils attached to the hulls to reduce any drag, allowing the vehicle to float two feet above the water while in motion. It's powered by solar energy, and can reach speeds up to 18.5 miles per hour (30 km/h). The Sea Bubble will retail for €30,000 ($32,788) and Thébault hopes that besides being used as pay-per-ride water taxis, it will also be picked up by ride-sharing apps like Uber.

Mayor Hidalgo was an early supporter of the venture and as such was given first dibs on trial runs, in favor of London, a city that had failed to commit to the project. "If London had helped us out I think we would have started out there," Thébault told the Telegraph. But that doesn't mean that the Sea Bubble will be exclusive to Paris in the years to come. Besides London, Thébault is looking at Geneva and New York as potential customers. Who needs the PATH train when you can traverse the Hudson in a flying bubble?

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