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Candela has just revealed its latest hydrofoil electric boat, the Candela C-8. With the high-tech, ultra-premium electric boat designed for mass production, the company is calling this “an iPhone moment for the boat industry.”

Candela’s first flying electric boat, the C-7, debuted last year as a radical new option in the boating industry. It flew above the water on hydrofoils, allowing it to achieve far better efficiency and range than any other electric boat.

While it excelled at demonstrating the efficacy of Candela’s innovative technology, the boat was also largely hand-built from exotic materials in low-scale production for individual buyers.

The C-7 sold so well that it greatly outstripped supply, leading Candela to develop the C-8 intended for mass-production.

As Candela’s founder and CEO Gustav Hasselskog explained:

“With the C-7, we demonstrated that our hydrofoil technology not only allows for long range on electricity, but also provides a better experience than conventional boats. Thanks to our hydrofoil system, you get a smoother, nicer ride. However, the C-7 was more like a hand-built sports car; never intended for volume production.

With the new C-8, we’re pushing the technology to the next level, and at the same time focusing on making a boat that has all the comfort you would expect, while designing it for efficient mass production.”

Now the company is officially debuting the new larger and roomier Candela C-8 electric hydrofoil boat that includes a cockpit for eight passengers, a large sun bed, roomy cabin with beds for two adults and two children, and even a marine shower and toilet. Despite the suite of improvements, the larger and better outfitted C-8 still touts a price that is on par with the smaller C-7 as well as gas-powered premium boats in the 28- to 29-foot class.

That’s exactly the type of boat the company has its sights set on, hoping to edge out gas-powered premium vessels in the market.

As PR and communications manager Mikael Mahlberg explained to Electrek:

We aim to sell thousands of C-8, and we think it will be the first electric boat that has the potential to outsell combustion engine boats in the premium class. I suspect it will do so with a wide margin, we hope it’s an iPhone moment for boats – something that will radically change how we perceive how boats should be and look like. Not loud, costly to run, shaking and slamming and poisoning the very nature you came to enjoy – but completely silent, intuitive to use, fun to drive but still relaxing for passengers, respectful to nature, maintenance-free, very cheap to operate and upgradeable OTA.

Despite being larger than the previous C-7, the eight-passenger C-8 actually uses less energy thanks to its ultra-efficient C-POD electric drive unit developed in-house by Candela.

The C-8 will include Candela’s new next-generation hydrofoil system with an improved sensor suite and avionics.

The flying boat is jam-packed with embedded technology. Similar to Tesla’s self-driving cars, the C-8 features Autopilot that keeps the boat on a pre-set course, reducing the load on the captain and allowing for a more relaxing experience.

The hydrofoils are also tied into an automatic system developed by Candela, adjusting in real time to maintain a perfectly level flight despite shifting waves.

The team designed the boat’s carbon fiber hull to be much more efficient than typical planing boats. It helps reduce the energy required to get the C-8 up to a speed of 16 knots, at which point the boat extends its hydrofoils to lift up and become foilborne. The boat can then reach its electronically limited top speed of 30 knots (35 mph or 55 km/h).

Foiling allows the C-8 to literally fly over the tops of waves, making the ride smoother and more comfortable than typical shaking, bouncing speed boats. In particularly rough seas, the hull is designed to help pop the boat back up onto its foils after hitting a large wave. And if the sea is simply too rough for hydrofoiling, the C-8 can be operated like a normal boat, though with reduced range. When foiling is capable, the C-8 boasts a cruising range of over 50 nautical miles (58 miles or 93 km). The boat’s 44 kWh battery can be recharged fairly quickly in two hours with a three-phase charger.

Other premium features in the C-8 include a four-person sofa in the cabin, a freshwater shower, optional hard top for cold environments or for sun protection, premium sound system (which is apparently a unique experience in the cabin as the ride is virtually silent without motor noise or any waves on the hull), and a 15.4-inch high-resolution touchscreen for navigation and controls.

The C-8 also boasts huge maintenance and operating cost advantages over typical gas- or diesel-powered boats, and even over other electric boats. The sealed C-POD drivetrain is nearly maintenance-free thanks to a 3,000-hour maintenance cycle (compared to around 100 hours for gas boats). The C-8 is also 95% cheaper to operate than gas boats and more efficient than any other electric boat, resulting in lower electricity costs too.

Of course those electricity costs pale in comparison to the purchase price of €290,000 before VAT (approximately US $339,000). Candela says that’s on par or even below several gas-powered competitors in the 8-meter premium boat class.

While I probably won’t be the proud new owner of a C-8 any time soon, its technology can already help replace noisy, polluting gas-powered luxury boats in marinas around the world, and hopefully continue to work its way into ever more affordable designs.

Very few of us lined up to buy a Tesla Roadster a decade ago, but I see a pile of Model 3s everywhere I go today. That doesn’t mean we’ll see a Candela on every trailer in a decade, but the model of entering the premium market first is fairly tried and true in the EV industry.


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Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born 

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Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born 

Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.

As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.

Pete Townshend
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Pete Townshend

“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.

“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”

If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.

But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.

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Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation. 

Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.

“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”

Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson
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Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson

This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.

For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.

Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet
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Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet

“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.

“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”

Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.

“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.

“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”

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In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.

“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.

Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.

It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.

Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.

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Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

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Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.

The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.

The charges relate to four women.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.

Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.

He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.

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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges

The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.

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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.

He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.

“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to ‘dear friend’ Val Kilmer

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to 'dear friend' Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.

Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.

Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.

Tom Cruise, star of the upcoming film "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," leads a moment of silence for late actor Val Kilmer during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP

Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
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Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP

His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”

The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.

Tom Cruise takes part in the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP

Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.

He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.

Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.

Read more from Sky News:
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He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.

In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.

The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.

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