Share this @internewscast.com
Just months after introducing the world’s first AI-powered, electric hydrofoil, Swedish boatbuilder Candela has unveiled its $339,000 sequel, which can go over 56 miles before it needs charging, the longest range of any electric boat ever produced.
Released as a hand-crafted limited edition in July 2021, the Candela C-7 proved such a hot commodity that demand outpaced supply, Eletrek reported, and the company has devised a successor that’s easier to produce, the C-8.
That is a steep bump in price from $240,000 for the C-7, but the new model uses less energy and is far roomier—about 31 inches longer than its predecessor.
That leaves room for a cockpit for eight passengers, a large sun bed, a roomy cabin with a four-person sofa, beds for two adults and two children, and a freshwater shower and marine toilet.
Candela says the sticker price on the 27.8-foot C-8 is on par with gas-powered premium powerboats in the 28 to 29-foot class.
Scroll down for video
Candela has unveiled its new all-electric hydrofoil speedboat, the C-8, which it says can break the 50 nautical limit of the C-7, already three times longer than other electric boats. It’s intended for ‘volume production’ to compete with combustion engine boats
‘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 … you get a smoother, nicer ride,’ Candela CEO Gustav Hasselskog said in a statement.
But the C-7, which debuted at the Venice Boat Show in June 2021, ‘was more like a hand-built sports car;’ he added, ‘never intended for volume production.’
The C-8 is aimed at mass production, Hasselskog said, without sacrificing technology, comfort or efficiency.
It sports an optional hard top, plus a premium sound system and a 15.4-inch high-resolution touchscreen for navigation and controls.
The 27.8-foot boat includes a roomy cabin with a four-person sofa, beds for two adults and two children, and a freshwater shower and marine toilet.
The C-8 also sports an optional hard top, plus a premium sound system and a 15.4-inch high-resolution touchscreen for navigation and controls.
The C-7 had a range of 50 nautical miles (57 miles) before its 40-kWh battery needed a recharge, which Candela says is already three times the range of other electric boats on the market.
However, the C-8 pushes beyond that limit, the company said, thanks to a larger 44-kWh battery pack, an improved version of the hydrofoiling system (which lets it glide over the water) and an energy efficient C-POD electric drive unit with a 55-kW motor at its heart.
The Candela C-7 (pictured) debuted at the Venice Boat Show in June 2021. The upgraded C-8 should start going into production in January 2022
The C-8’s hydrofoil system helps reduce its wake to just 2 inches, making it far less destructive and disruptive to marine life than conventional powerboats. The foils can tuck way for storage or in shallow waters
Candela communications manager Mikael Mahlberg told Electrek the goal is to knock premium combustion engine boats out of the water.
‘I suspect it will do so with a wide margin, we hope it’s an iPhone moment for boats – something that will radically change how we perceive how boats should be and look like. Not loud, costly to run, shaking and slamming and poisoning the very nature you came to enjoy – but completely silent, intuitive to use, fun to drive but still relaxing for passengers, respectful to nature, maintenance-free, very cheap to operate and upgradeable …’
A carbon fiber hull cuts down the energy required to get the C-8 up to a speed of 16 knots (about 18mph), when the hydrofoils extend and the craft lifts up above the water, reaching a top speed of 30 knots (35 mph).
As with the C-7, the C-8 has an Autopilot feature tied into an AI system that adjusts to real-time shifts in the waves and keeps the boat on a pre-set course while the skipper can relax .
Hydrofoils (left) are lifting surfaces — analogous to the aerofoils of an aircraft’s wing — that operate in water. As a hydrofoil boat gains speed, the foils lift the hull out of the water, helping to reduce drag and enable greater speeds
Rising up on the foils lessens water friction by up to 80 percent, Candela said.
When foiling is enabled, the C-8 can hit a cruising range of over 50 nautical miles (58 miles), the company said, after which the boat’s 44 kWh battery can be recharged in about two hours with a three-phase charger.
The Sarvo 37, from Denmark’s Sarvo Marine, can supposedly go more than 80mph and reach 100 nautical miles (about 110 miles).
It was supposed to launch in July 2021 but is still under development, according to New Atlas.
The C-8’s hydrofoil system also helps reduce its wake to just 2 inches, making it far less destructive and disruptive to marine life than conventional powerboats.
Both the fore and aft foils can retract for easy storage or operation in shallow water.
As with the C-7, the C-8 has an Autopilot feature tied into an AI system developed by Candela that adjusts to real-time shifts in the waves and keeps the boat on a pre-set course while the skipper can relax .
Candela is now accepting reservations for the C-8 and expects to begin production in January 2022.
Candela is also working in tandem with local authorities in Stockholm to develop the world’s fastest all-electric ferry, the Candela P-30, a hydrofoil boat capable of ferrying 30 passengers at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour.
Source: DUK News
