Absolutely silent, maintenance-free, 95 percent cheaper to drive and sporting the longest electric range of any boat in history. With Candela C-8, the Swedish electric boat maker aims to bring electric boats to high-volume production.
Building on its first, successful sports craft, the Candela C-7, the Swedish tech company is now launching its second-generation hydrofoiling leisure boat: the Candela C-8, a larger and more comfortable craft designed to bring electric boats to the wider market.
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“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. In a hydrofoil boat, you get a smoother, nicer ride. However, the C-7 was more like a hand-built sports car; never intended for volume production”, says Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s founder and CEO. “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.”
50 – 100 years of recreational boating
At 290 000 euros excluding VAT, the C-8’s asking price is on par or lower than many conventional fossil fuel powerboats in the 28-29-foot range. However, once purchased, the C-8 is virtually free to own and use. The cost of driving Candela C-8 is 95 percent lower than for combustion engine boats. Equipped with the newly launched Candela C-POD direct-drive pod motor, the C-8 requires neither oil changes nor regular maintenance. The C-Pod is rated for 3000 hours service-free use, which is the equivalent to 50-100 years of recreational boating – without any maintenance whatsoever. When moored, the C-8’s hydrofoils can be retracted above the waterline, minimizing growth and the need for antifouling.
Longest electric range ever
The C-8 features a new and improved version of Candela’s revolutionary hydrofoiling technology that cuts energy consumption by 80 percent compared to conventional boats, thereby allowing long all-electric range at high speeds.
Combined with Candela’s newly developed drive train, the C-POD, the C-8 can cruise for longer distances than any electric powerboat before it: over 50 nautical miles on battery power at a speed of 22 knots. The C-POD makes the C-8 the most efficient powerboat ever. At a speed of 22 knots, it only draws 16 kW/21 hp from the battery. For comparison, a conventional, planing, 28-foot cabin cruiser is typically equipped with a 300-horsepower gasoline outboard motor. Candela C-8 production starts this fall at the company’s Stockholm factory, and the first customers will take delivery during spring 2022.
Read the full press release here.
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