Candela is a Stockholm-based start-up company launched in 2014. It’s the leading creator of electric-powered hydrofoil flying boats.
The company produces passenger boats that consume less energy, glide above the water surface, and don’t pollute the water.
In 2020, Candela launched the first flying electric hydrofoil passenger boat, the Candela Seven. This boat made its first appearance on Switzerland’s lakes.
It also opened a test drive center in the United States in March 2022. The test drive center is located in San Francisco, and it’s the first Candela drive center in the US.
Up until the opening of this test drive center, Candela had branches in Switzerland, Stockholm, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The Candela Seven is a zero-emission hydrofoil speedboat that can go up to 55 km per hour without negatively affecting the water.
The company’s electric boats were created to eliminate the need for traditional speedboats that run on combustion engines.
These boats don’t use combustion engines, so they don’t emit waste. Candela’s boats run on Candela’s C-POD motor.
Combustion engines consume large amounts of gasoline that, in the event of an oil spill, will pollute the water.
Traditional speedboats emit harmful chemicals that affect delicate ecosystems. They also form waves that harm coral reefs and erode beach shorelines.
Candela holds the record as the fastest electric craft even though it uses remarkably less energy than conventional watercraft. These incredible boats consume 80% less energy.
The P-8 Voyager was designed to travel through water without harming sensitive coral reefs and wake-sensitive areas. This innovative invention will put an end to the climate disruption caused by regular motorboats.
In addition, the boat’s foils allow it to silently fly over water, reducing noise pollution and increasing fish mortality. It was recently discovered that the noise made by motorboats reduces the lifespan of young fishes.
The report details the stressful effects of noisy motorboats on the lives of marine life.
Candela boats create an alternative solution for maritime transportation without harming the water and its inhabitants.
“You get the seakeeping ability of a 100-foot ship in a 28-footer, really. Foiling in bad weather will be the ultimate experience of nature.” says the chief of commercial vessels at Candela, Erik Eklund.
He added, “Taking in the dramatic scenery, breaking waves and all, while safely flying over it in absolute silence. This is a new level of luxury that, I dare say, has never been experienced at sea.”
The P-8 Voyager can accommodate six people in its air-conditioned cabin and two crew members upfront. It can hit speeds of 20 knots while using only 25 kW of energy.
Its top speed is 30 knots, and it glides over the waves, so passengers never have to worry about seasickness.
Talking about Candela P-8 Voyager, Eklund expressed, “With the Candela P-8 Voyager, we wanted to make a no-compromise electric exploration vessel. You have the performance and can cruise for well over 2 hours, but there’s virtually no negative impact on the environment.”
Candela’s P-8 Voyager will usher in a revolutionary mode of water transport.
Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash