Candela’s electric boat can save Venice from destruction

To replace combustion engine boats, you must make an electric boat that is vastly better. That was the design goal of Candela C-8, the hydrofoiling electric daycruiser that combines revolutionary seakeeping, record-shattering range, high speed, and zero environmental impact.

Traditional 28-foot electric speedboats use excessive power – about 15 times more energy than standard family cars– to plow through water, which means correspondingly short range at high speeds, even using huge battery packs.

The Swedish tech company Candela used design principles from the aircraft industry to develop its computer-guided hydrofoils, which increase efficiency by 400% compared to traditional speedboats. This allows Candela C-8 to fly above the sea with a longer range than any other battery-powered boat on the market - despite having a smaller battery pack.

Moreover, Candela C-8 does away with virtually all the traditional drawbacks of conventional powerboats: slamming, emissions, high fuel costs and maintenance.

Flying above the friction of water and waves, the C-8 is balanced in real-time by its flight controller, a computer that uses input from 10 sensors around the boat to regulate the angle of attack of its main foil, a maneuver that is performed automatically 100 times per second. The Candela C-Foil system accounts for winds, waves, and different loads to make the ride silky smooth even in adverse weather conditions.

The C-8 has a top speed of 30 knots and draws only about 20 kW of power from its battery when flying at 20 knots. It can cruise for 2.5 hours without recharging – for only €8, slashing costs of driving by more than 90% compared to a similar-sized ICE powerboat. The Candela C-POD motor can run 3000 hours without maintenance, which for the typical user means 25-50 years of hassle-free boating.

These characteristics led Forbes Magazine to dub Candela the "Tesla of the seas".

The C-Foil system was developed by Candela’s engineers with backgrounds in the drone and aircraft industries, and is the very first of its kind in any boat.

The revolutionary Candela C-8 is set to debut at the Salone Nautico show in Venice, on Friday, May 27.

“Flying in absolute silence, without any slamming and basically for free - it’s just an amazing experience. Once you’ve tried Candela C-8, it will be hard to go back to traditional powerboats”, said Gustav Hasselskog, the founder and CEO of Candela.

“It is with great pride that we're debuting the C-8 at Salone di Nautico. The Floating city, which is dependent on motorboats but also suffers from their impact, is the perfect place to show how Candela's craft can contribute to a better world, while offering new levels of performance”, said Gustav Hasselskog.

For the Venetians, the Candela C-8 may be a possible relief from one of the greatest threats to the iconic city: motorboat wakes.

The high-energy wakes from the city’s myriads of fast water taxis and leisure craft have caused destruction to the wooden pillars that all houses here are built on, a phenomenon called Moto Ondoso. Studies imply that 60% of all buildings have been damaged to some extent, which eventually might lead to their collapse.

Flying at 30 knots, the silent Candela C-8 makes only a 5cm high wake, or about the waves created by a classic Venetian gondola.

Candela will bring the very first Candela C-8 to Salone Nautico in Venice, starting Friday, May 27. The grand finale will be the show’s E Regatta, an endurance competition between electric boats.