The world’s fastest electric passenger vessel can unlock the full potential of waterborne transport in San Francisco

The fastest and most comfortable way to travel in the Bay Area? Nimble, flying, electric catamarans, according to tech company Candela, which will demonstrate its technology to the media in San Francisco during National Drive Electric week, September 29-30.

While high-speed diesel catamarans can cut travel times, they are 10-15 times more expensive than buses or trains to operate per passenger mile. These vessels are also big everyday polluters, and their wakes cause shoreline erosion.

Candela Technology, a Swedish tech company that recently opened a US headquarter in Sausalito, aims to address these drawbacks with their hydrofoiling, 30-passenger electric vessel, the Candela P-12 Shuttle, which is currently being built in Stockholm, Sweden.

More similar in size to an electric bus than a ferry, it flies on computer-guided underwater wings, or hydrofoils, and uses a staggering 80% less energy per passenger than conventional high-speed diesel ferries. The result is a fast, silent, and comfortable electric craft that competes favorably with road traffic in terms of operational costs and speed. Candela’s vision for the San Francisco Bay area is to complement the current big and often underutilized ferries, with a nimbler fleet consisting of several Candela P-12 Shuttles.

“In most cities, ferries run half empty at best. The vessels are built for peak seasonal demand, which happens once or twice a year. Using smaller vessels, and more of them, decreases wait times between departures and could allow for new and more flexible routes across the bay,” says Erik Eklund, Vice President of Commercial Vessels at Candela.

For example, using a system of six P-12 Shuttles on the Sausalito to San Francisco Ferry Terminal route would increase departure frequency from once every 30 minutes today to one departure every 10 minutes. The cost per passenger would also decrease, due to thereduced energy consumption.

Thanks to its efficient hydrofoil tech, the Candela P-12 Shuttle doesn’t create a discernible wake either, as it cruises above the waves at 30 knots (35 mph). The ability to fly past moored boats, sensitive shorelines and other traffic without causing wake damage allows for high-speed operations in urban waters.

Candela Technology is a Swedish company and the leader in electric vessels. After launching the world’s first electric hydrofoil boat in 2019, the Candela C-7 bowrider, and following up with the high volume production Candela C-8 this year, the company has been lauded by industry analysts and publications as the “Tesla moment” of boats, thanks to the unique combination of high speed and long range, as well as new features, such as OTA updates and an innovative user interface. Candela's single biggest market is the United States and specifically California.

The Candela P-12 Shuttle is Candela’s first venture into commercial vessels. The first P-12 unit will be launched for the City of Stockholm next year and will be used by the city as a quick transport for passengers between Stockholm’s boroughs.

"Waterways are fantastic transport corridors, but they’re very much forgotten in the discussion about how to make urban transport more sustainable. At Candela, we intend to deliver the technology which will unlock waterways, says Erik Eklund."

Candela will be demonstrating the Candela electric foiling vessels to the media in San Francisco and Seattle during Drive EV week, 29-30 September. Additional dates are possible upon request. Please reach out to Mikael Mahlberg at Mikael.mahlberg@candela.comto book a test drive.