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A new Swedish company, Candela has introduced what it claims to be the world’s first electric hydrofoil ferry which covers the route from Tappström, to Stockholm City Hall, 15km in 30 minutes.
Clean and fast electric motors cut time and pollution
Using electric motors it literally flies silently one metre above the water cutting the usual travel time in half and according to Gustav Hasselskog, founder and CEO of Candela “This is a paradigm shift for urban transport and a revival of our waterways.”
If this iconic first ferry route turns out to be both successful from an environmental point of view and profitable for the company then this could be a major breakthrough in city water transport, not just for Stockholm but also for much of the world.
Ferry literally flies though the air above the water
Named Nova, this is the first of Candela’s new P-12 models to enter service. Its computer-controlled hydrofoil wings lift the hull above water, reducing energy consumption by 80 per cent compared to conventional vessels by cutting water friction.
According to the company, conventional fast vessels consume enormous amounts of energy at high speeds and with around 70 such vessels being used in Stockholm waters, the difference with Nova is that they use more fossil fuels than the city’s buses and trains combined, despite representing only a small share of total passengers carried.
Ferry travels at high speeds in built up areas as their is no wake
Nova however flies above the water rather than pushing through it like conventional vessels, it creates minimal wake. As a result, the ferry is allowed to travel at high speeds within the city limits, where other vessels are restricted by wake regulations.
In addition it is easy to charge, requiring no major docking area, runs on 100 per cent renewable energy and creates little noise even at high speeds.
It won’t be able to operate when the waters freeze over but the concept is already attracting interest from warmer areas such as New Zealand and Saudi Arabia and this is one of a number of innovative new clean travel concepts being developed in Sweden.