That’s the question posed by the company which is launching what it claims is the world’s fastest all-electric foiling ferry in 2022.
“Our goal is to prove that our electric hydrofoil ferries are much cheaper, more comfortable and a lot more versatile than conventional vessels,” said Erik Eklund, director of public transportation, Candela.
“It’s not just an alternative to other ships, but a whole new take on of public transportation.”
Step-change
The all-new foiling Candela P-30 certainly looks good on paper. It will hit Stockholm’s waterways in 2022, shuttling passengers to and from the archipelago without wakes, noise and CO2 emissions.
Candela said that the vessel will help reinvent commuting and will be appealing to other port’s too because there’s no need to build new infrastructure to service it.
Funded jointly by Stockholm technology boat builder Candela and the Swedish transport authority, the P-30 flies on computer-controlled hydrofoils which reduce energy consumption by 80% compared to the best fast ferries of today.
This is the key to its long all-electric range at high speeds. The higher service speeds will allow the new P-30 ferry to shuttle more passengers farther and faster than any other electric ship and will be able to service even the longest routes because it can travel more than three hours at 20 knot cruise speeds before recharging.
A recent report by the municipality of Stockholm estimates the overall cost of operating the Candela P-30 will be half the cost of conventional diesel ferries.
P-30 consumes about 3 kWh per nautical mile, which is one tenth of a conventional ship and comparable to the energy consumption of a modern electric-hybrid bus.
The intention is to eventually replace the city’s aging fleet of 60 diesel boats that currently serve commuters.
After sea trials, the P-30 will start commercial operation in 2023.