A few years on and Alain Thébault splits his time between Annecy, where he has his offices, and the vineyards of Lavaux in Switzerland, where he lives. Because as well as the sea, this modern-day explorer is a great fan of cycling. So much so that it was the main reason why he set up in this region. His team of engineers even travel to work by bike. “Annecy offers wonderful living conditions, and an ever-greener way of life”. It is here and in Saint-Jorioz to be precise, where Alain Thébault decided to put down roots and “attract grey matter”, as he puts it. Annecy, aka the little Venice, just so happens to be a stone’s throw away from Geneva and its international airport, as well as the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) school with which he works in close collaboration.
His development department currently employs a dozen engineers, and the yachtsman plans to hire 90 people over the next three years. The “pilot of
dreams”, to quote the title of his book published in 2005 by Flammarion, is now working on green hydrogen, “the oil of tomorrow” in his opinion, harnessing the power of rivers. “Switzerland, Germany and the Auvergne- Rhône-Alpes region are all pioneers in the domain. There is everything we need here to make flying hydrogen boats”.
Without forgetting his flying bus project. The hydrogen powered Flybus, which major cities around the world are queuing up to order, including San Francisco and Miami. “The planet is on fire and we have to preserve our resources. We are all living on the same planet. And I want to do something meaningful for the world community”. While taking time out to enjoy spending time in La Clusaz…the quality of life here is simply “extraordinary”.