Since its inception in 2014, Swedish boat manufacturer Candela has had a mission to create electric boats to rival the performance of its fossil fuel competitors. After their penultimate model, the C-7, became the best-selling electric boat in Europe last year, Candela has claimed to have “reinvented the boat” with their latest model: the C-8.
Described as “absolutely silent”, Candela’s latest 8.5m hydrofoil electric tender is able to attain rapid top speeds of 30 knots, while remaining completely emissions-free. The C-8 is pushing the same electric hydrofoiling technology seen in the C-7, Candela’s first electric foiling boat, to “the next level”, according to founder and chief executive Gustav Hasselskog.
“We believe we will make several thousand Candela C-8’s over the coming years. Once you have tried it, you realise that this is the way boats must look like in the future.”
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According to the builder, the C-8 offers 80% less energy consumption than traditional speedboat models of the same size bracket due to its hydrofoiling technology. This technology, which includes the company’s innovative Candela C-POD direct-drive pod motor, allows the boat to cruise for a range of 50 nautical miles at the speed of 22 knots on battery power alone.
Alongside the tender’s hydrofoil system, Candela offers an in-build flight controller which will automatically adjust the foils to keep the boat steady in adverse weather conditions. This merging of advanced aircraft technology with software and electronics is what allows the C-8 to truly be the first of its kind as a long-range electric cruiser.
With a length of 8.5m and a 2.5m beam, the C-8 boasts many of the amenities of a traditional speedboat. It customarily features a large cockpit, seating for eight passengers, a sunbed, and a front cabin large enough for two adults and two children.
With a charge time of two hours, the C-8 has an asking price of €290,000 (AU$464,600) excluding VAT Production on the first Candela C-8 will begin this autumn in the company’s Stockholm facility, with the first boats in the water by spring 2022.
