'Flying' electric hydrofoil boat sets new distance milestone

An electric hydrofoil boat has marked a new milestone, travelling a distance of 420 nautical miles (777 kilometers) within 24 hours between Stockholm and the Baltic island of Aland. According to Candela, their C-8 foiling craft set a new world record for the longest distance driven by an electric boat in a day. The previous record was 79 nautical miles in 20 hours, they said. The average speed during the 24-hour journey was 17 knots, including charging breaks. Leveraging innovative hydrofoil technology, the C-8 lifts above the water on wings, reducing energy consumption by 80% compared to conventional electric boats. Candela’s CEO and founder, Gustav Hasselskog, who piloted boat during the record attempt, said an additional benefit was the lower fuel costs than for a conventional petrol boat. “I think the key thing that we really wanted to prove is that you can drastically reduce emissions and you can save a lot of money by going electric,” he said. Later in the autumn, Candela’s passenger vessel, the 30-person Candela P-12 Shuttle will start operating in the Stockholm waterways. - Report from Reuters