Electric boat breaks world record for distance in 24 hours

Setting a new world record for the longest distance traveled by an electric boat in one day, the C-8 foiling craft from Swedish electric boat manufacturer Candela covered 420 nautical miles (777km/483 miles) within 24 hours – the equivalent of travelling from London to Amsterdam.

The prior claimed record was 79 nautical miles achieved in 20 hours.

“This feat shows that fast, electric waterborne transport over long distances is viable today, not a distant future,” says Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s CEO and founder, who piloted the C-8 during the record attempt.

The circuit for this electric endurance challenge consisted of a 20 nautical mile loop in the Stockholm archipelago between Frihamnen and the island of Tynningц. The record run was supported by Northvolt’s mobile 281 kWh battery storage system Voltpack, which was used to DC charge the C-8 after each lap during the record run.

While the average speed during the 24-hour run was 17 knots, even when accounting for charging breaks, the C-8 was running at full speed (27 knots) for most of the time, consuming 685 kWh during its journey and costing approximately €110-120 in electricity. In contrast, according to the company, a conventional petrol-powered boat would consume roughly 740 litres of fuel, costing circa €1400.

During the challenge, the C-8 was charged for a total of 313 minutes and received a total of 615kWh of electrical energy. Each charge took about 18 minutes, and the battery was charged from about 13% to 66% State of Charge (SOC), with an average charging speed of about 118kW.

Candela says it conducted the record run in collaboration with battery maker Northvolt and charging station supplier Plug, to showcase how future DC charging networks for boats could look like in archipelagos and remote coastal areas. Instead of making heavy investments in upgrading the local grid, it says islands can deploy battery systems like Voltpack to ensure there’s enough power available for fast charging.

Hasselskog comments: “With a relatively modest investment, charging stations could be built to fully electrify marine transport in the Stockholm archipelago. For a few hundred million euros, a charging network covering Europe’s coastal passenger transports would become a reality. We don’t have to wait for tomorrow. We have the technology to shift towards sustainable marine transport now.”

Later this year, Candela is set to introduce its new passenger vessel, the 30-person Candela P-12 Shuttle, which is is said to be able to operate most of the world’s coastal waterways while offering a sustainable and much more cost-effective alternative to today’s fossil-fuelled waterborne traffic, which accounts for three per cent of global GHG emissions.

Last month (August 2023), Candela appointed SE Yachts as its exclusive UK dealer. Based at MDL‘s Hamble Point Marina, SE Yachts presented the Candela C-8 to the UK market for the first time at the Southampton International Boat Show 2023, highlighting that electric foiling is ‘no longer a novelty’.

All images courtesy of Candela.