Drew Wilson
Candela is releasing a new boat that’s fully electric, runs silently and flies — sort of.
The Candela C-8 “flying” boat is the first electric hydrofoil boat to enter serial production and features a unique design that allows the boat’s hull to remain airborne, floating atop hydrofoils.
The company claims the boat offers “simply a better experience” and describes the experience of captaining it “radical climate action made fun.”
“Instead of punching its way through the waves, C-8 flies silently above the surface. Instead of fitting a bigger engine, we went for dramatically improved efficiency by developing a pod motor optimized for hydrofoils. Instead of creating huge swells, we made a craft that leaves no wake behind,” the company said in a news release.
“To this, we added the best user interface ever seen in a boat, over-the-air upgrades, and all the amenities and comfort you would expect from the world’s best leisure boat.”
In addition to its sleek design and silent operation, Candela heralds the C-8 as both the fastest and longest-range electric boat on the market. That could be a draw in Florida given its plentiful waterways, where boating is a pastime for natives and transplants alike.
The C-8 is the smaller, recreational sibling of Candela’s P-12 electric hydrofoil ferry, which was recently voted to be one of the 100 Greatest Innovations of 2022 by Popular Science. The P-12 will begin moving passengers as part of Stockholm’s public transit system in early 2023.
The company said the C-8 is already in production and is scheduled to begin being delivered to customers in early 2023.
CES attendees can check out the C-8 on Jan. 4 at the PepCom Digital Media experience at Caesars Palace and from Jan. 5-8 at Tech East in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth 10043.
