First electric boat successfully crosses the Baltic Sea

A group of Swedes set a world record by driving a hydrofoiling Candela C-8 between Stockholm and the Finnish autonomous region of Åland, marking the first time an electric boat has crossed the Baltic Sea and made the journey between the two countries. They even returned the same day – at 95% lower costs than a fossil-fuel-powered boat, Candela said in a media release.

"The aim was to demonstrate that zero-emission sea travel is not only possible today, but that foiling electric ships and boats are so much cheaper to operate than fossil-fueled vessels," said Gustav Hasselskog, CEO and founder of Candela.

The Stockholm-based tech company has developed the world’s first electric hydrofoil boats and ships, vessels that fly above the water with an 80% reduction in energy consumption compared to traditional ships, providing both long range and high speed on battery power.

The record trip was made last Thursday in the latest version of the leisure boat Candela C-8, equipped with a Polestar battery, starting at 6 a.m. from Stockholm’s Frihamn. After a charging stop in Kapellskär, they reached Mariehamn, the capital and largest town of the Åland Islands, an autonomous region of Finland, at lunchtime, making it the first electric boat to cross the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. In the harbor, the electric boat pioneers were greeted by a delegation headed by Åland's Premier, Kristin Sjögren.

The trip was made mostly with the existing charging infrastructure, and in partnership with Kempower, a charging solutions provider. In Kapellskär, the Candela charged with a Kempower Movable Charger, a 40-kW wheeled charger connected to the existing power grid at the harbor. In Finland’s Mariehamn, the boat was plugged into the marina’s three-phase outlet. In the evening at 6 p.m., the electric boat pioneers flew back toward Sweden. After a top up in, Kapellskär, the C-8 returned in dense fog to the starting point, Stockholm's Frihamn, at 11.30 p.m.

Candela's hydrofoil technology enables massive cost reductions for sea transport, which was proven when the electric costs were summed up. The gasoline-powered chase boat of similar size that accompanied the trip had to refuel for 750€ during the 150 nautical miles – while the Candela C-8 consumed 213 kWh of electricity, at a cost of about 40-50€.

This fall, Candela P-12, the company’s new 30-passenger hydrofoil ferry, will begin operating the Ekerö-Stockholm City Hall route, where it is expected to halve travel times thanks to not producing damaging wakes, allowing it permission to travel quickly in the inner city.

Candela has recently announced a deal to electrify the water transport network in Saudi Arabia’s giant NEOM project, as well as ferries sold to cities ranging from Berlin to New Zealand.