By 3 News online staff
A New Zealand rich-lister has launched an amphibious truck capable of search and rescue in Washington, hoping to catch the eye of the US military.
Founder of Gibbs Technologies, Alan Gibbs launched the new vehicle ‘Phibian’ at a gathering of US military engineers and guests yesterday where its performance was demonstrated on the Potomac River.
The truck has been developed for general transport, search and rescue and law enforcement operations and is capable of travelling up to 130kmh on land and more than 60kmh on water.
Mr Gibbs, 72, says time is of the essence when conducting search and rescue missions.
“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.”
He expects the US military to be interested in the Phibian, which is constructed primarily of strong, lightweight carbon fibre and has wheels which retract to transition from land to water.
Gibbs Technologies develops road legal high-speed amphibious vehicles for consumer, commercial, military and first rescue use.
The Gibbs Aquada was launched in 2003 in London and in 2004 Sir Richard Branson used it to set a new record for crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle.
Since then Gibbs has focused on further developing his High Speed Amphibian (HSA) technology which is the result of 15 years work, more than $200 million and over two million hours of engineering time.
The Gibbs Quadski, a quad bike that converts into a jetski targeted at the consumer market, is also set for release this year.
Mr Gibbs was valued at $450 million in the National Business Review Rich List last year.
He formed Gibbs Technologies in 1996 after building an amphibious vehicle so he could drive his boat from the water to his bach without a trailer.
He lives in Britain but owns a property which includes a large outdoor sculpture collection near Kaipara Harbour, north of Auckland.
3 News