Candela’s hydrofoil electric speedboats set new world record with international voyage

Candela can’t stop setting or breaking records with its high-tech hydrofoil electric boats. The latest record takes advantage of the vessel’s DC Fast Charging capabilities and ultra-efficient design to quickly cruise between Sweden and Finland.

The voyage marked the first time an electric boat has ever crossed the Baltic Sea, and it did so in style, flying roughly a meter above the waves on a hydrofoil boat.

The Candela C-8 makes use of computer-controlled hydrofoils that lift the boat out of the water, leaving just 1% of the boat in the heavy resistance water. By soaring through the air, the Candela C-8 uses just 20% of the energy needed by other boats.

The round trip from Sweden to Finland and back covered a distance of 150 nautical miles (172 miles or 278 km).

“The aim was to demonstrate that long-distance electric sea travel is not only possible today, but that foiling electric ships and boats outperform fossil-fueled vessels in every way,” said Gustav Hasselskog, CEO and founder of Candela.

The record-setting trip was made in the latest version of the leisure boat Candela C-8, equipped with a Polestar 69 kWh battery. The boat set off early in the morning from Stockholm’s Frihamn.

After a charging stop in Kapellskär, they arrived in time for lunch in Mariehamn, the capital and largest town of the Åland Islands, an autonomous region of Finland. In doing so, the C-8 became the first electric boat to cross the Baltic Sea and demonstrate the advantages of electric boats beyond short range travel. The return trip followed the same route, arriving back home for (a late) dinner.

“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 Gustav Hasselskog.

Interestingly, the cost savings of the trip were also consequential. A similarly-sized gasoline-powered chase boat followed along with a camera crew to document the voyage, and it spent around 750€ on fuel stops along the way. The Candela C-8’s charging bill would have come to roughly 50€, though one crew member on the Candela boat remarked that the friendly harbors actually let them charge for free.

“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 Gustav Hasselskog.

And that’s not to mention the much smoother ride of the C-8, which glides above the peaks and troughs of the waves, instead of bouncing over them like a traditional planing boat.

The trip was performed largely using the existing charging infrastructure along the way, and was performed in partnership with Kempower, a charging solutions provider.

In Kapellskär, the 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.

“Kempower is proud to contribute to the electrification of boating and help create greener waterways. Electric boats combined with hydrofoiling offer the best possible efficiency. Kempower’s DC fast charging solutions are ideal for electric boating, and our Kempower Movable Charger is a plug-and-play solution that integrates seamlessly with the electrical grids already available in many marinas,” says Antti Vuola, Kempower’s Director of Market Segments.