We've been following the progress of the incredibly ambitious Neom project since its announcement in 2017, which includes a 105-mile-long, 660-ft-wide and 1,600-ft-tall megacity called The Line. Now we know how some of its tourists and residents will get around.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud's plan is to transform 10,200 square miles (26,500-sq-km) of Northwest Saudi Arabia into a lush sustainable development for millions of residents and tourists by 2039. Work is already underway on the trillion-dollar project, with the Crown Prince recently attempting to silence critics while simultaneously assuring investors that all is proceeding to schedule.
Though Neom is looking to place key neighborhood amenities within reach of pedestrians and cyclists, electric shuttles and underground transit systems will transport citizens and tourists farther afield. Where getting around involves crossing waterways, folks may well fly above the surface courtesy of a Candela P-12 electric hydrofoiling taxi.
That's because Neom has just ordered an initial fleet of eight zero-emission passenger vessels – which entered production last year and is due to makes its public debut as part of Stockholm's public transport system this coming fall – to service the project's planned water network.
"The P-12 is designed to create zero-emission water transport systems which have significant improvements over traditional water commuting," said Candela's founder and CEO, Gustav Hasselskog. "Unlike legacy systems with large, slow, and energy-inefficient conventional ferries, the Candela P-12 is a smaller and faster unit, allowing much more frequent departures and quicker journeys for passengers. All daily necessities and services will be just a short boat commute away."
The P-12 can accommodate up to 30 passengers, depending on configuration, and rises above the water on computer-guided hydrofoils when take-off speed is reached. Its C-POD motors can zip it to a service speed of 25 knots (28.77 mph) while its 252-kWh battery bank is reckoned good for more than 2 hours per charge.
Candela notes that the system is "exceptionally quiet" and creates "only a negligible wake." A life cycle analysis from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2022 also determined that the P-12 "will emit 97.5% less CO2 during its lifetime compared to a conventional diesel vessel of the same size."
The purchase agreement represents the largest so far for Candela, with delivery to Saudi expected to take place from 2025 through to early 2026. The video below shows the kind of experience Neom tourists can expect.
Source: Candela