Marine

Candela C-8 foiling e-boat gains Polestar batteries for longer range

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The Candela C-8 foiling electric leisure boat has received a per-charge range bumps thanks to a partnership with luxury electric car maker Polestar
Candela
The Candela C-8 foiling electric leisure boat has received a per-charge range bumps thanks to a partnership with luxury electric car maker Polestar
Candela
The Candela C-8 powered by Polestar model's internal layout has been reconfigured to accommodate a 69-kWh battery pack
Candela
The Candela C-8 powered by Polestar foiling electric leisure boat has an expected per-charge range of up to 57 nautical miles at a cruise speed of 22 knots
Candela
The Candela C-8 can accommodate eight, including the pilot
Candela
The C-8 features Candela's proprietary navigation and boat integration system, which is accessed via a 15.4-inch touchscreen display
Candela
The Candela C-8 can be configured as a hard top, day cruiser or T-top
Candela
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Last year, luxury electric car brand Polestar agreed to supply batteries to foiling e-boat maker Candela. Now the first fruit of that deal has been revealed, a new version of the C-8 leisure craft that's now good for a per-charge range of 57 nautical miles.

The C-8 "powered by Polestar" edition will replace Candela's current 44-kWh production model when it goes into production this coming (Northern Hemisphere) spring.

The foiling electric boat retains much from the current model, including the computer-guided retractable C-Foil wings and pod motor that allow it to "fly" above the surface of the water for a relatively quiet, efficient and smooth ride – without leaving much wake behind it.

Its internal layout has been redesigned, however, to accommodate the same 69-kWh battery module and DC fast-charging technology found in the Polestar 2 five-door fastback EV.

The Candela C-8 powered by Polestar model's internal layout has been reconfigured to accommodate a 69-kWh battery pack
Candela

At a cruise speed of 22 knots 25 mph), the revised C-8 has an expected range of up to 57 nautical miles (65 miles/105 km) – plus an extra 3 nautical miles in reserve to limp home at 4 knots if needed – which makes it the longest-range production electric boat, according to Candela.

"This collaboration means that the C-8 can travel to destinations previously only reachable by combustion-engine boats," said company CEO and founder, Gustav Hasselskog. "The Candela C-8 powered by Polestar marks a significant breakthrough for electrification at sea."

Candela quotes usage data from European boat-sharing service Apagi, which reveals that some 95% of day trips undertaken by its members clock up less than 50 nautical miles, which should be "well within the range of the Candela C-8."

The Candela C-8 can be configured as a hard top, day cruiser or T-top
Candela

Elsewhere, the new 8.5-m-long (28-ft) C-8 benefits from lightweight carbon fiber construction, the interior is designed to sleep a small family, a tinted hatch above allows light to filter through, and the foiling boat can be optioned with a premium sound system sporting six speakers plus a subwoofer.

It's being made available in hard-top, day cruiser or T-top configurations. The C-Pod motor is reported to output 75 kW (100 hp) at takeoff, and operates at 23 kW (30 hp) when foiling. And the top speed is given as 27-knots.

The order books for the C-8 powered by Polestar are open now, with the price remaining the same as before at US$395,000. The video below has more.

Source: Candela

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4 comments
guzmanchinky
As someone who boats regularly off the coast of California, I can say the two most annoying parts are banging around on waves and noise.
Claudio
it says "No more range anxiety at sea" and then they always show this kind of "flying" boat on deltas/lakes, with glass smooth water surface... how does this system perform in real sea, with waves?
jerryd
While these seem great and for a while will work, aas they found in the 80s when these were popular, used for many ferries, etc, they just got clogged by debris and far more plastics in the water now to damage them because there are a lot of things floating just underwater that will break them as will hitting these a bottom. As would hitting a 100lb+ fish, mammal, 50 lb+ turtle.
The same thing will happen again.
And no need as catamarans can do the same things with better performance, much more seaworthy, less draft and designed right, nothing to catch anything with and just slides anything, animals, dock pieces, etc away.
Since cats are displacement hulls they can carry more battery weight, thus longer range so much better than a hydrofoil.
They do run well in waves as long as not too high, 4.5'., 1.5m or so tops, they hit the boat bottom.
A whale took out a 137' US military Pegasus missile patrol boat off Miami putting the crew in the hospital , totaled it and the whale wasn't happy either. Next yr, 88?, they decommissioned the 6 ones they had next to me in Key West. Though they would be killer in Ukraine as 8 Harpoon anti ship missiles and great anti missile, ship 3" gun tech could go right at the Russians and win.
Ken Mills
Not Green technology. Hydrofoils are quiet knives slicing through any life in the water. at least with a normal boat they can hear and feel it coming better and get out of the way. hydrofoils stealthfully kill.