VIDEO: Candela electric foiling boat makes record breaking Baltic crossing
Written by Nick Blenkey
Photo: Candela
In another breakthrough for electric foiling vessels, a Swedish team from Candela last week set a world record by driving a hydrofoiling Candela C-8 between Stockholm, Sweden, and the Finnish autonomous region of Åland, marking the first time an electric boat has crossed the Baltic Sea and made the journey between the two countries. They even returned the same day – at 95% lower costs than a fossil-fuel-powered boat.
“The aim was to demonstrate that zero-emission sea travel is not only possible today, but that foiling electric ships and boats are so much cheaper to operate than fossil-fueled vessels,” said Gustav Hasselskog, CEO and founder of Candela.
While the record breaking trip was made with the latest version Candela C-8 leisure boat, the company also uses that vessel as a test bed for its larger vessels which, of course, including foiling ferries. This fall, Candela P-12, the company’s new 30-passenger elrctric foiling ferry, will begin operating the Ekerö-Stockholm City Hall route, where it is expected to halve travel times thanks to its not producing damaging wakes, allowing it to gain permission to travel quickly in the inner city.
Another city that will soon see a Candela P-12 on its waters is Berlin, with Candela recently announcing the sale of a P-12 to Funkhaus/Reederei Riedel, which plans to deploy it on a shuttle service connecting the East Side Gallery, near Ostbahnhof, with the cultural hub Funkhaus.
The recent record trip across the Baltic and back was made last Thursday in the latest version of the Candela C-8, equipped with a Polestar battery, starting at 6 a.m. from Stockholm’s Frihamn. After a charging stop in Kapellskär, the team reached Mariehamn, the capital and largest town of the Åland Islands.
“The disadvantage of electric boats has been their short range, due to traditional boat hulls consuming so much energy. With our hydrofoil technology, we combine high speed and range, but you get so many other benefits. Flying over the Åland Sea in total silence and without slamming was absolutely magical,” said Hasselskog.
The trip was made mostly with the existing charging infrastructure, and in partnership with Kempower, a charging solutions provider. In Kapellskär, the electric foiling Candela charged with a Kempower movable charger, a 40-kW wheeled charger connected to the existing power grid at the harbor. In Finland’s Mariehamn, the boat was plugged into the marina’s three-phase outlet. In the evening at 6 p.m., the electric boat pioneers flew back toward Sweden. After a top up in, Kapellskär, the C-8 returned in dense fog to the starting point, Stockholm’s Frihamn, at 11.30 p.m.
“We actually had range anxiety, but not for the Candela. The irony is that the photographer’s gasoline-powered chase boat had to refuel six times during the trip, while we only charged three times,” said Hasselskog.
Candela says that its electric foiling technology enables massive cost reductions for sea transport, which was proven when the electric costs of the cross-Baltic trip were summed up. The gasoline-powered chase boat of similar size that accompanied the trip had to refuel for EUR 750 during the 150 nautical miles – while the Candela C-8 consumed 213 kWh of electricity, at a cost of about EUR 40-5.
“We’re talking about 95% lower operating costs,” said Hasselskog. “This is a revolution that makes waterborne transport competitive with land transport in terms of costs, which we will now demonstrate in public transport in Stockholm.”
At the heart of Candela’s hydrofoil tech stack is the Flight controller, which automatically stabilizes the vessel during flight by regulating the foils, using sensors that gauge wave height and wind speed, among other factors. Even in rough weather, says Candela, passengers experience 90% less G-forces than they would on a traditional boat.
