Swedish startup Candela Speed Boats AB announced late last week that its new C-8 electric boat is one of the fastest-selling 28-ft boats on the European market. Five weeks after launching the €290,000 boat, the EQT Ventures-backed company has more than 60 orders for it. See Futurride’s earlier deep dive on the boat here.

“According to our data, the C-8 is the second or third fastest-selling powerboat in the 28-ft category in Scandinavia—not just electric boats, but any type of power source,” said Mikael Mahlberg, Candela’s Communications Manager. “By year’s end, we expect to have a real impact on combustion-engine boat sales in this size category.”

Now the company has its sights on even bigger sales numbers. Last week it announced its first test drive center in the U.S. in the lead-up to the Mubadala United States Sail Grand Prix. There, eight teams lined up for a Season 2 finale on San Francisco Bay, with the French team using Candela’s first product, the C-7, as the world’s first electric hydrofoil chase boat.

The new location, Candela San Francisco in Sausalito, CA, opens on April 1st and joins centers in Stockholm, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Italy, in expanding the company’s presence in the U.S. market.

“We’re not just aiming at making the best electric boat,” said Tanguy de Lamotte, CEO of Candela US. “We’re making a vastly better boat than today’s conventional powerboats, hands down—combustion engine or electric. Thanks to our hydrofoil technology and our direct-drive C-POD motor, there’s no slamming, no noise, no fumes, and very little maintenance. It basically takes away all the bad things with powerboats.”

The opening of the first U.S. test drive center also marks a shift in Candela’s demand. The company says that a majority of new customers are coming from the U.S., making its powerboat market a key target for the e-boat maker.

 

Electrifying mission

Candela was founded in 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden, by engineer and entrepreneur Gustav Hasselskog. Based in Lidingö, Stockholm, its mission is to electrify waterborne transportation for the ultimate purpose of speeding up the transition to fossil-fuel-free lakes and oceans.

The company says that a traditional 25-ft gasoline-fueled boat consumes about 15 times more fuel than a family car, leaving a heavy footprint on the planet. Multiply that number with the number of ships and boats worldwide, and it says it’s easy to see that the concept of traditional combustion-engine boats is not sustainable.

Candela says it aims to electrify waterborne transport on a global scale by making electric, hydrofoiling boats and ships with long range, high speed, and new capabilities not seen in traditional powerboats. Using the learnings from its first production model, the C-7 sports boat, the company is now ratcheting up into mass production of leisure craft. It started the assembly of its first C-8 at its Lidingö, Stockholm, factory in December, and the first deliveries will start during spring 2022.

The company is simultaneously developing what it says is the world’s first hydrofoiling shuttle ship called the P-30. Commissioned by the City of Stockholm, the ship will go into production and operation by 2023. It will shuttle 30 passengers and be able to cover the longest routes in the Stockholm archipelago at speeds of 25 knots.

The company’s 80-person team of engineers and technicians from the aerospace, car, and software industries have been developing the proprietary hydrofoil technology and associated software. Its engineering team consists of experts in fields such as hydrodynamics, software, advanced computer simulations, mechatronics, and electric propulsions systems. All software and most hardware, including the C-POD and foil “flight” controller, are designed in-house.

 

C-8 builds upon C-7 predecessor

Candela says that the C-7, production of which started in 2019, was the world’s first electric hydrofoil boat in serial production and the best-selling electric premium boat in Europe from 2019 to 2021. It attributes this success to having a longer range, higher cruise speed, and smoother ride than other electric boats—thanks to the company’s hydrofoil tech that lifts the hull above the water friction and allows for a long range on battery power only.

While the C-7 was a sales success, Candela acknowledges that it is a niche product, with 30 units delivered. Compared to the smaller, hand-built C-7, the new carbon-fiber C-8 is made for mass production, which allows the company to sell it for a price comparable to that of conventional, premium, fossil-fuel boats.

Like the C-7, the C-8 flies above the water’s surface, which enables a greater range than other electric boats. However, the C-8 is a far bigger and more capable boat that is said to offer features not found in other boats.

It features a new version of the company’s patented hydrofoil system powered by a new, C-POD silent pod thruster. Thanks to two underwater wings that lift the hull above the water friction, the C-8 can run for considerably longer distances than other fast, electric boats. Computer-controlled hydrofoils lift the boat’s hull above the waves and reduce energy consumption by 80%.

Comparing favorably with traditional powerboats, the C-8 can cruise for more than 2.5 h at 20 knots. At a cruise speed of 22 knots, the boat can cover more than 50 nautical mi (92 km) on one charge of its 45-kW·h battery.

Helping to get the C-8 to market is an innovative subscription offering through the Agapi Boat Club, which provides access to premium boats across Scandinavia, the U.K, Mallorca, Menorca, Marbella, and Crete. The boat-sharing service led by Peder Asplund, CEO and founder of Agapi Boating AB, will bring the electric hydrofoil experience to a larger crowd.

 

Better user experience

When foilborne, the Candela hydrofoils also reduce slamming by 90% compared to conventional hull boats.

“The C-8 will not just have a longer range than other electric boats, it will offer a better ride experience than any boat out there,” said Mahlberg. “In 3- to 4-ft chop, you’ll be able to drive at 30 knots without feeling the waves. It will be like a magic carpet ride.”

When foilborne, the C-8’s onboard flight control computer adjusts and twists the hydrofoil about 100 times per second to maintain the best flight height and to counteract waves and side wind. In rough seas that prevent hydrofoiling, the C-8 can also be driven as a conventional boat, but with reduced range.

Candela says that the real game-changer is the C-8’s new C-POD motor configuration, which puts electric motors in a torpedo-shaped pod under the water, getting rid of mechanical gears and the associated noise. Shifting to electric direct drive also reduces the number of moving parts, making the C-POD more efficient and virtually maintenance-free. With 3000 h between overhauls, the motor will last “a human lifetime” without maintenance.

Beyond the powertrain, the company says that the C-8 is a “fully integrated boat,” offering a seamless user experience. Like in a Tesla and other more software-defined vehicles, gone are physical buttons and knobs found in conventional boats. Features from foil retraction to route planning are managed by the 15.4-in touch screen running Candela’s user interface.

Via the boat’s touch screen, the hydrofoils can retract into the hull, useful when entering a shallow harbor or when storing the boat on a trailer. In Shallow Mode boating, the C-POD motor and C-Foil are retracted and protected from both fouling and hitting submerged objects.

Boaters can also manage and monitor such functions as charging, route planning, and heating from the company’s app.

 

Next up: New Zealand

After Europe and the U.S., next up for Candela’s market expansion in New Zealand. Although the country has one of the highest levels of recreational boating in the world, there are challenges with the activity not mixing well with the country’s marine habitats and sustainability focus. The company says that examples include animals regularly affected by unintentional oil spills from refueling, big wakes thrown up by speedboats, and noise pollution from engines.

The problem has been that no electric motorboat could offer the combination of high speed and long range that “boaties” are used to from their ICE (internal combustion engine) craft. However, Candela wants to change perceptions with the first batch of Candela’s boats due to arrive in New Zealand in April.

Thanks to computer-guided hydrofoils, the Candela C-8 electric boat offers better electric range and performance. In addition, Candela’s boats are designed to cause minimal disturbance to marine shorelines and habitats with a hull that flies above the water. At 25 knots, a C-8 creates a small 5-cm (2-in) wake.

“New Zealand is at the forefront of sustainability in so many ways,” said Candela CEO Hasselskog. “One-third of the land area is protected in parks and reserves. Kiwi conservation workers are at the forefront of species management. Renewables account for much of the energy generation. So it feels great that Candela can contribute to the great work New Zealand is doing to keep its pristine waters clean.”

The e-boat maker is expanding its presence with a reseller in New Zealand called Next Generation Boats, based out of Wanaka on the South Island.

“Electric boats are ideal for the New Zealand market,” said Kostya Marchenko, Founder and CEO of Next Generation Boats. “More than 80% of our electricity generation comes from renewable sources and there are many pristine lakes, harbors, and estuaries to be enjoyed aboard an eco-friendly, low impact boat.”

The small wake also makes the C-8 a better waterskiing boat. The combination of electric power and an automatic flight controller that prevents side slip is said to make it outperform even the best traditional ICE ski boats.