Connect with us

Published

on

The Candela C-8 Polestar Edition electric boat has just crushed the previous record for distance sailed in 24 hours by an electric boat.

Swedish electric boat maker Candela’s C-8 electric hydrofoil boats are known for their extreme efficiency, soaring through the air with less than 1% of the boat actually touching the water. Flying on submerged hydrofoils, the Candela C-8 uses just 20% of the energy needed by other boats.

That means the boat can use significantly less on-board battery to go much farther than higher-power electric boats with much larger batteries than Candela’s. And since Candela partnered with Polestar to provide the batteries and charging system for the C-8, it can take advantage of DC fast charging for short recharge stops during a journey.

candela c-8

In this case, the team at Stockholm-based Candela wasn’t just trying to demonstrate how efficient a single charge could be, but also how important DC fast charging is for marine applications.

As the company explained:

The aim here was not to drive as far as possible on one charge, but really to see how far we could drive in a day, using DC charging to quickly top up the battery – something owners will do, as DC charging networks grow in the US, Norway and along the French/Italian riviera.

The Candela team traded off drivers throughout the day and night, and used a DC charger with a Voltpack mobile battery system from Northvolt. Together they managed to cover 420 nautical miles (483 miles or 778 km) in 24 hours. The previous record was held by the team at Voltari who traveled 79 nautical miles (91 miles or 146 km) from Florida to the Bahamas, performed all on a single charge.

To put Candela’s 420-nautical-mile trip into perspective, that’s like traveling from London to Amsterdam and back again. Or for our American audience, traveling from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans, or from San Francisco to San Diego. Wow, I always forget how big California is.

“This feat shows that fast, electric waterborne transport over long distances is viable today, not a distant future,” said Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s CEO and founder, who piloted the C-8 during the record attempt.

The total cost for electricity worked out to approximately €110 (US $117), with Candela saying that a conventional boat would have used at least €1,400 (US $1,490) of fuel for the same long-distance journey.

Perhaps more impressive than just the distance covered was the team’s speed, which averaged 17 knots (19.5 mph or 31.5 km/h) throughout the 24 hours, including time stopped to charge. By comparison, Voltari’s boat crawled along at just over trolling speeds of around 3.95 knots (4.5 mph or 7.3 km/h) to accomplish their feat, taking 18 hours to complete the Florida to Bahamas journey that most boats cover in two to three hours.

While underway, the Candela C-8 traveled at close to its maximum speed at around 27 knots (31 mph or 50 km/h). The route consisted of a loop between Stockholm and the island of Tynningö, stopping to DC fast charge after each loop.

candela c-8

Candela’s impressive feat was performed in collaboration with battery maker Northvolt and charging station supplier Plug, to showcase how future DC charging networks for boats could look. Instead of making heavy investments in upgrading the local grid, islands could deploy battery systems like Northvolt’s Voltpack to ensure that there’s enough power available for fast charging, which could be a more cost-effective and quicker solution.

In this case, Northvolt’s Voltpack stood on the dock outside Candela’s Frihamnen office. Connected to a DC charger from Plug, it recharged the Candela C-8 a total of 17 times over the 24-hour span.

“With a relatively modest investment, charging stations could be built to fully electrify marine transport in the Stockholm archipelago. For a few hundred million euros, a charging network covering Europe’s coastal passenger transports would become a reality,” stated Hasselskog.

Electrek’s Take

While the 420 nautical miles in 24 hours is the sexy part of this story, the true unsung hero is the DC fast charging that made all of this possible (and of course the whole “flying electric boat” thing, which is just more proof that we’re all living in the future).

The setup from Northvolt and Plug showed an interesting solution to provide DC fast charging facilities, even when the local grid isn’t set up to handle such power. Seeing these systems dropped on islands around popular boating destinations could immediately turn those areas into capable electric boat highways for long-distance travel.

Obviously, it helps if your boat can fly to go even farther on that charge, but even old-fashioned boats that have to touch the water can of course benefit from readily available marine DC fast charging.

Nice job, Candela!

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

This is it: the FIRST pure electric vehicle to wear a Lamborghini badge [video]

Published

on

By

This is it: the FIRST pure electric vehicle to wear a Lamborghini badge [video]

True to Lamborghini’s legacy of speed and excess, the first battery-electric vehicle to wear the raging bull is also the fastest of its kind. Only this time, the badge isn’t on a car — it’s on a personal watercraft. Meet the all-new Seabob SE63 jet sled.

Co-developed with the Italian supercar brand, the Lamborghini-badged Seabob SE63 features a more powerful jet propulsion system than any of the company’s existing personal jet sleds, and is fitted with a carbon fiber motor shaft as a further nod to the Italian luxury brand’s high-performance heritage.

Here’s the surprising thing, though: the new Seabob SE63 isn’t inspired by a specific road-going Lamborghini. Instead, it gets its name from the Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63 sport yacht built by the Italian Sea Group shipyards.

Tecnomar for Lamborghini 63


Tecnomar for Lamborghini Verde Citra; via New Atlas.

Why, yes – I will take just about any excuse to post pictures of sexy Italian super yachts in bright, vibrant colors. Thanks for asking!

Advertisement – scroll for more content

But we’re not here for superyachts. We’re here for super sleds, and German PWC specialist Cayago set out to make this one, “most powerful Seabob ever.” As such, the SE63 is designed to be grab-and-go personal jet sled that delivers significantly higher speeds than its Seabob stablemates. In fact, its makers say it’s fast enough to keep up with sharks and dolphins.

The riding experience is not just ‘a bit faster’, but thrillingly intense and unrestrained. Acceleration off the start line delivers an immediate adrenaline rush. Thrust, agility, top speed: everything is designed for maximum performance and pure emotion. 

LAMBORGHINI

The new SE63 backs up those claims with a 6.3 kW (~8.5 hp) electric motor. And, while that hardly makes it a supercar, in the world of ePWCs, it’s enough to make the SE63 a monster. The SE63 also features a bigger, more energy-dense battery than other Seabobs, a combination good for up to 60 minutes of go-fast, water-based fun.

Seabob SE63 Lamborghini


The SE63 can recharge its batteries with a standard power outlet in just 1.5 hours, and be back on the water for even more fun in the sun.

The Seabob SE63 made its debut earlier this week at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Production is set to begin in early 2026, meaning you’ll be able to get yours just in time for the summer 2026 beach season. Prices have yet to be announced – but, like any Lamborghini product, if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it.

Check out the world premier of the Seabob SE63 for Automobili Lamborghini (the sled’s official name) in the video, below, then let us know what you think of the brand’s first BEV in the comments.

World premier video


SOURCE | IMAGES: Lamborghini; via New Atlas.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles

Published

on

By

Tesla influencers tried Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving, crashed before 60 miles

A duo of Tesla shareholder-influencers tried to complete Elon Musk’s coast-to-coast self-driving ride that he claimed Tesla would be able to do in 2017 and they crashed before making it about 60 miles.

In 2016, Elon Musk infamously said that Tesla would complete a fully self-driving coast-to-coast drive between Los Angeles and New York by the end of 2017.

The idea was to livestream or film a full unedited drive coast-to-coast with the vehicle driving itself at all times.

We are in 2025 and Tesla never made that drive.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Despite the many missed autonomous driving goals, many Tesla shareholders believe that the company is on the verge of delivering unsupervised self-driving following the rollout of its ‘Robotaxi’ fleet in Austin, which requires supervision from Tesla employees inside the vehicles, and improvements to its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) systems inside consumer vehicles, which is still only a level 2 driver assist system that requires driver attention at all times as per Tesla.

Two of these Tesla shareholders and online influencers attempted to undertake a coast-to-coast drive between San Diego, CA, and Jacksonville, FL, in a Tesla Model Y equipped with the latest FSD software update.

They didn’t make it out of California without crashing into easily avoidable road debris that badly damaged the Tesla Model Y:

In the video, you can see that the driver doesn’t have his hands on the steering wheel. The passenger spots the debris way ahead of time. There was plenty of time to react, but the driver didn’t get his hands on the steering wheel until the last second.

In a follow-up video, the two Tesla influencers confirmed that the Model Y had a broken sway bar bracket and damaged suspension components. The vehicle is also throwing out a lot of warnings.

They made it about 2.5% of the planned trip on Tesla FSD v13.9 before crashing the vehicle.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla shareholders used to discuss this somewhat rationally back in the day, but now that Tesla’s EV business is in decline and the stock price depends entirely on the self-driving and robot promises, they no longer do.

I recall when Musk himself used to say that when you reach 99% self-driving, it is when the “march of the 9s” begins, and you must achieve 99.999999999% autonomy to have a truly useful self-driving system. He admitted that this is the most challenging part as the real-world is unpredictable and hard to simulate – throwing a lot of challenging scenario at you, such as debris on the road.

That’s where Tesla is right now. The hard part has just started. And there’s no telling how long it will take to get there. If someone is telling you that they know, they are lying. I don’t know. My best estimate is approximately 2-3 years and a new hardware suite.

However, competition, mainly Waymo, began its own “march of the 9s” about five years ago.

Tesla is still years behind, and something like this drive by these two Tesla influencers proves it.

I was actually in a similar accident in a Tesla Model 3 back in 2020. I rented a Model 3 on Turo for a trip to Las Vegas from Los Angeles.

I ended up driving over a blown-out truck tire in the middle of the road like this. I was Autopilot, but I don’t know if the car saw it. I definitely saw it, but it was a bit late as I was following a truck that just drove over it. I had probably less than 2 seconds to react. I applied the brakes, but my choices were driving into a ditch on the right or into a car in the left lane.

I managed to reduce the force of the impact with the braking, but the vehicle jumped a bit like in this video. There wasn’t really any damage to the front, but the bottom cover was flapping down. I taped it together at the next gas station and I was able to continue the trip without much issue.

However, after returning it to the Turo owner and having the suspension damage evaluated by Tesla, the repair job was estimated to be roughly $10,000. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a similar situation with this accident.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Stellantis’ new EV battery tech will put it ahead of – well, EVERYONE [video]

Published

on

By

Stellantis' new EV battery tech will put it ahead of – well, EVERYONE [video]

Chrysler parent company Stellantis is calling its new, Intelligent Battery Integrated System (IBIS) system a breakthrough technology that will make future EVs lighter, more efficient, and quicker. Now, that “breakthrough” tech is now moving from concept to reality.

Co-developed with Saft, Sherpa Engineering, Université Paris-Saclay, and Institut Lafayette, Stellantis’ IBIS embeds the charger and inverter functions directly into the battery pack, an integration that results in reduced design complexity, interior space savings, and lifetime easier maintenance.

That improved efficiency carries on to the battery’s second life, too. IBIS facilitates the reuse of electric vehicle batteries in second-life battery energy storage systems (BESS) applications by reducing the need for extensive (and expensive) reconditioning.

“This project reflects our belief that simplification is innovation,” explains Ned Curic, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer at Stellantis. “By rethinking and simplifying the electric powertrain architecture, we are making it lighter, more efficient, and more cost-effective. These are the kinds of innovations that help us deliver better, more affordable EVs to our customers.”

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Key IBIS benefits

  • up to 10% energy efficiency improvement (WLTC cycle) and 15% power gain (172 kW vs. 150 kW) with the same battery size
  • reduces vehicle weight by ~40 kg and frees up to 17 liters of volume, enabling better aerodynamics and design flexibility
  • early results show a 15% reduction in charging time (e.g., from 7 to 6 hours on a 7 kW AC charger), along with 10% energy savings
  • easier servicing and enhanced potential for second-life battery reuse in both automotive and stationary applications

Those benefits stem from the fact that EVs spend a lot of time and energy converting Alternating Current (AC) to Direct Current (DC) and back again with the – that’s true whether we’re talking about a L2 home charger or energy harvested from regenerative braking. Doing away with that process and the hardware that goes along with it could unlocks significant weight and efficiency benefits, with some estimates indicating that an IBIS car could weigh in at 40 kg less than a conventionally-equipped BEV, while still offering similar range and performance. 

IBIS has been in development for several years, with the first proof-of-concept for stationary applications being built in 2022. The news today, however, is that the first fully functional, IBIS-equipped battery electric vehicle (BEV) is finally ready to hit the road.

Stellantis’ researchers installed the system under one of the company’s new Peugeot E-3008 electric crossovers. Guilt on the STLA Medium platform, the prototype follows years of design, modeling, and simulation by both Stellantis and Saft, and (if all goes well) could pave the way for the integration of IBIS technology into Stellantis’ electric and hybrid production vehicles by the end of this decade.

Stellantis IBIS EV battery tech


SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending