World record: Hydrofoil electric boat Candela C-8 crosses the Baltic Sea
The Candela C-8 electric hydrofoil crossed the Baltic Sea within 24 hours and returned to its home port in the same time.
The Candela C-8 on a record run.
(Image: Candela Boats)
The Swedish boatbuilding company Candela has set a world record by becoming the first electric boat to cross the Baltic Sea in 24 hours with its Candela C-8 electric hydrofoil. The electric boat even managed to return within the same day on Thursday.
The record-breaking boat is the latest version of the Candela C-8 electrified hydrofoil boat, which lifts itself out of the water at a certain speed and then glides over the water on underwater hydrofoils, thereby achieving a high level of energy efficiency. Designed as a leisure boat, the electric vessel was unmodified and used a battery from the Swedish electric car manufacturer Polestar.
The record journey began at 6 a.m. in Frihamn near Stockholm in Sweden. The C-8 reached Mariehamn, the capital of the Ă…land Islands, an autonomous region of Finland, at around midday.
Videos by heise
Before that, however, a loading stop had to be made in Kapellskär. A mobile 40 kW charging station from Kempower was used for this. It was connected to the power grid in the port. At the destination, Mariehamn in Finland, the battery was then charged in the town's marina. A three-phase socket was used for this. In the evening at around 6 p.m., the C-8 set off for Sweden again and reached its home port in Frihamn at 11.30 p.m. in dense fog. Before that, the hydrofoil boat made another loading stop in Kapellskär.
No "range anxiety"
By Candela's own admission, she had no "range anxiety". Three loading stops were enough to cover the distance of around 150 nautical miles. The petrol-powered support boat, on the other hand, had to be refueled six times, resulting in significantly higher operating costs. Gasoline was refueled for a total of 750 euros. In contrast, the C-8's electricity costs for 213 kWh amounted to around 40 to 50 euros.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
Candela wanted to use the trip to show that the disadvantage of electric boats, their shorter range, can be compensated for by technology. Conventional boat hulls consume significantly more energy. However, the Candela C-8's hydrofoil technology lifts the hull out of the water, creating less resistance and allowing the boat to travel faster.
Candela has already demonstrated the performance of its C-8 electric boat on several occasions. In 2023, for example, the company set a distance record of 420 nautical miles within 24 hours. Previously, the record had been 79 nautical miles within 20 hours.
(olb)
