Swedish electric foiling innovator Candela has revealed that its P-12 ferry is heading to the US for the first time. Thanks to a partnership with Fly Tahoe, the craft will drastically cut travel times for tourists heading to Lake Tahoe's ski resorts.
Candela first revealed plans for a foiling electric ferry in 2021, though what later became the P-12 morphed into something quite different from the early renders.
The completed passenger craft made its maiden flight in Stockholm last year and has since entered service in the Swedish capital, with company founder and CEO Gustav Hasselskog heralding "a paradigm shift for urban transport and a revival of our waterways."
The order book has opened too, and we've already seen the folks behind the ludicrously ambitious Neom gigaproject in Saudi Arabia securing eight P-12s to ferry people about. Now the "world's first flying electric ferry" is headed to the US to provide a zippy north-south connection across the largest alpine lake in North America, Lake Tahoe.
The 30-seat water taxi has enough room for ski equipment during the winter season and bikes in summer. A combination of direct-drive electric propulsion and computer-guided wings lift the hull out of the water at speed, making for a stable and efficient flight above the surface while leaving little wake.
"It basically works like a jet fighter, which is constantly balanced using ailerons," said Hasselskog. "The principle of the P-12 is the same, except our wings fly in water instead of air."
The P-12 is 39.24 ft in length (11.99 m), has a 14.76-ft beam (4.5 m) and weighs in a 10 tonnes. It can be had in a number of different interior configurations, but something similar to the one pictured below will be the likely choice for Lake Tahoe.
The two C-POD electric drives boast 320 kW of peak power, and the onboard battery bank is reckoned good for 40 nautical miles at service speed. Up to 200-kW DC charging is supported for quick top-ups.
The ferry service is being run by local operator Fly Tahoe, and a cruising speed of around 30 mph (25 knots) will allow passengers to fly to the 14 ski resorts dotted around the lake in less than 30 minutes, instead of having to take a 2-hour journey around the lake by road during the winter season.
"It’s ironic that while millions, myself included, drive around Lake Tahoe to admire its beauty, the road sediment we generate contributes to the largest threat to the lake’s famous cobalt blue clarity," commented Ryan Meinzer, founder and CEO of Fly Tahoe. "Our service will provide a faster transport than cars or buses, while keeping the lake blue."
And it's not just going to be a time-saver for tourists, since Lake Tahoe doesn't freeze over, the operator expects the service to fly year-round for locals and visitors alike.
The Candela deployment is not the first time we've seen foiling electric water taxis operate in US waters – a five-seater from Seabubbles made a splash in 2019 and Navier added another passenger to the flying party earlier this year, for example. But with capacity for 30 customers plus one crew, the P-12 is being billed as the first electric foiling ferry in the US.
Candela told us that the service is due to start operating from "late next year or first half of 2026." You can see the kind of experience on offer in the video below.
Source: Candela
