Test drive the world's fastest electric boat in Lugano

Flying boats return to Italian lakes – but this time they're electric

PRESS TEST DRIVE EVENT: 4-6 SEPTEMBER, LUGANO. DETAILS BELOW.

Thanks to computers and carbon fiber wings, the foiling Candela Seven is the first electric craft that outperforms gas-guzzling competitors. This speedboat is made in Sweden – but for the Alp lakes of Italy, where the foiling boats once originated.

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.

Thanks to an Italian invention, 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.

Hydrofoil boats are not new and actually originates from Italy. Back in 1898, the engineer Enrico Forlanini experimented with a small hydrofoil that set a record speed of 50 km/h on Lago Maggiore – driven by a steam engine!

The Candela Seven, on the other hand, is propelled my a modern electric drive train and powered by computers and software, automatically adjusts the hydrofoils and provide a smooth ride even in choppy seas and side winds.

–We can 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.

While the Candela Seven has been developed in Sweden, Candela’s real market is Central Europe's many zero-emission lakes and rivers. Here, slower electric boats are already a common sight. To show off the Seven’s speed and range, Candela recently participated in German Vox TV:s “Auto Mobil” show, racing a Tesla Model 3 between Köln and Düsseldorf.

After five years of R&D, the Candela Seven is now in serial production. The goal for 2020 is to become the biggest electric boat maker in Europe. To kick off the international expansion, Candela is touring Italy's lakes - where hydrofoil boats once originated.

Members of the press and media are welcome to test drive in Lugano during 4-6 September, 2020. Please get in touch with Candela PR Manager Mikael Mahlberg at mikael.mahlberg@candelaspeedboat.com or call +46 76 537 66 78.

candelaspeedboat.com