A Swedish company has unveiled a new fully-electric hydrofoil speed boat which it says will change the face of recreational boating forever.
Candela's C-8 can do 20 knots, has a range of 50 nautical miles and can accommodate at least half a dozen passengers - while eliminating fuel leaks, motor noise, wake, and expensive trips to the fuel dock.
Electric boating has been far behind electric cars as a result of the far-denser resistance encountered when a vehicle attempts to push its way through water as compared to air. Using hydrofoils to lift the C-8 out of the water - and thus avoiding the vast majority of water resistance - results in 80 percent less energy consumption than an internal-combustion engine boat.
This allows Candela to mount an electric motor and battery pack as the form of thrust and actually deliver range and speeds comparative to a fossil-fuel speed boat.
Candela has designed C-8 to fit right into the industry options. Capable of being mass produced at 400 units per year, the C-8 prices in at €290,000 ($320,000), equal or in some cases lower than other fossil-fuel speed boats in its size class of 28 feet (8.5 meters). Hardly surprising, therefore, that they have already pre-sold the first batch of 100 boats since launching in February.
“It’s basically free boating, and hassle-free boating, for the first time in history,” says company founder Gustav Hasselskog.
The boat sleeps two kids and two adults, while the above deck cockpit has room for eight people.