Tesla on the water. Candela collects for a revolutionary motorboat

 "Candela Speed ​​Boat AB announces the same revolution as Tesla in the automotive industry. It's just that its producer is not as rich as Elon Musk and is collecting money for the implementation of this project. Ready for mass production, the Candela-8 (C8) is a large speedboat (8.5 meters) with seating for 8 people or bunks for two adults and two children. This model is larger than the C-7, and the novelty is that it is powered by an electric motor, not an internal combustion engine. 

Gustav Hassellskog, founder of Candela Speed ​​Boat AB, a start-up, assures that if he manages to raise money for this investment, he will be able to build 400 such boats a year. According to his assessment, there is a market for 1,000 large motorboats with electric motors each year. 

- Today the situation is such that the market of motor boat producers is very fragmented, so hardly anyone makes money on it. Meanwhile, expensive modern technologies are needed, so more players are dropping out - said Gustav Hasselskog in an interview with Bloomberg.  

However, he does not hide that he is determined to develop his company, because people are more and more aware of the need to protect the climate. His company already produces small hydrofoils, which consume much less energy than ordinary motor boats with internal combustion engines. - However, to build a C-8 size boat powered solely by electricity, you would need a battery with a capacity three times greater than those installed in hydrofoils of the same size, but the range will still be only half. This would make no sense, it would be too expensive to run, and it would certainly not compete with existing boats with combustion engines. 

The technology of building hydrofoils, invented in the 19th century, is based on the same principles as the construction of the wings of an airplane. In recent years, it has been gaining more and more interest as boat builders are looking to increase the efficiency needed to overcome the drag associated with water propulsion. It is also behind the boom in the demand for electric surfboards, such as the one that was flown with the American flag in hand by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in a video posted on the occasion of July 4. "What Candela does is really innovative," says Luke Gear, a technology analyst at IDTechEx. - The fact that they designed the propeller and components for the ship itself will make it a breakthrough. Such a flight completely changes the boat's energy needs, but it is unlikely to be a turning point in electric boat production, adds Gear.

 The Candela C-8 today costs 290,000 euros excluding sales tax, takes 8 passengers on board, has three cabins - a front and two bedrooms, a sun deck and a sea toilet. Thanks to a specially constructed underwater electric motor, the C-pod, Candela guarantees a quiet ride from the moment the boat reaches a speed of 16 knots, i.e. 30 km / h, because then it pulls away from the surface. Then it can accelerate to 30 knots. The comparison with Tesla is not exaggerated at all. The C-8 offers Tesla-like wireless solutions, a 15.4-inch high-resolution touchscreen for navigation, and an app where you can plan your trips and access all boat functions, from turning on the lights and cooler to checking the charge status battery. 

Candela, like Tesla, developed all the software in-house. The range of the C-8 will be greater than that of the C-7, which can travel (fly?) 50 nautical miles (80.5 km) at a speed of 22 knots on a single charge. 

- Tesla S was a big event in the luxury car market. We expect the C-8 to have a similar impact on the nautical industry, says Gustav Hasselskog. Recreational boats are just the beginning of Candela's operations. It is getting ready to test a 30-seat hydrofoil ferry on Stockholm's waterways from 2023 and is in talks with around 45 cities about delivering clean passenger ships. - We believe that the passenger ship business will grow faster, but for now we are starting with recreational boats - says Gustav Hasselskog. In Europe, however, the future of such solutions is optimistic. For example, the Stockholm authorities have already announced that in 2030 maritime public transport will no longer use fossil fuels."