Berlin Press Drive invitation: The world’s fastest electric boat is made for the German market

Berlin Press Drive invitation: 4-6 September, details below.

Thanks to computers and wings, the Candela Seven beats gas-guzzling boats on their own terms when it comes to performance. This revolutionary electric craft is made in Sweden – but for the German market.

While electric cars have already conquered the roads, electric boats have so far been few and lacking in performance. The reason is that traditional speedboat hulls are hard to convert to electric propulsion. The friction against the water is so high, that even the best lithium ion batteries get drained after only a few kilometers of high-speed driving.

The Swedish startup Candela’s first model not only matches but also beats its fossil fuel competitors in terms of performance.

Soaring 50 centimeter above the surface, carried on two underwater wings called hydrofoils, the Candela Seven cuts energy consumption by 80 percent compared to fossil fuel powered competitors.

Thanks to a 40 kWh battery from the BMW i3, the flying speedboat can drive for 2,5 hours at 20 knots, a world record electric range and 2-3 times the endurance of the next-best electric boats on the market.

But the hydrofoils also give Candela Seven new features never seen before in any boat. Just like a modern jet fighter, the Candela is inherently unstable and needs computers and software to balance it during flight. A built-in flight controller regulates the foil position 100 times per second. The system accounts for waves, shifting weight and winds – making the Candela Seven super stable even in strong sidewinds and choppy seas.

–We drive through storm gusts and 1,2 meter high waves in 30 knots. It’s practically impossible to get seasick on board a Candela, says Hasselskog.