In addition to electric cars, most transportation vehicles have started to become electrified. Sea transportation has a great place in the world and in our country. Earlier, we published a news about the production of electric jet skis. Today, news has emerged that an even more interesting electric watercraft will begin to be produced. This watercraft has a ferry and wings. Yes… You read it right, it has wings.
This watercraft, which is a design for now, was introduced by the Swedish startup Candela. Candela is already making fun versions of electric flying boats. This winged ferry, which is still in the design phase, has not been produced. The ferry is expected to begin production next year.
Winged ferry will be environmentally friendly thanks to its electric features
The electric ferry named P-12, which Candela promotes and shares its design, leaves almost no traces, noise and emissions thanks to its special wings. It is believed that this will cause a major change in the gigantic diesel-powered ferries both in Stockholm, the city where the ferry will be manufactured, and in various countries around the world, and will benefit the environment.
Candela CEO Gustav Hasselskog announced that the boat is “in the design phase for production” ahead of its November launch and a prototype will be produced for a test drive next year. Reducing carbon emissions from ferries is a priority for any city surrounded by water. Stockholm’s existing fleet of 60 ferries emits 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, accounting for 8 percent of total shipping emissions in Sweden. As a result, air pollution increases considerably and poses a serious threat to public health.
Candela believes there’s more to cleaning up Stockholm’s commuter traffic than emissions-free energy. That’s why he believes ferries flying on the electric line will convince more drivers to stop traveling by car. Thus, environmental and air pollution will be greatly reduced.
Transportation will be faster with the P-12
It was announced that the journey from Tappström to central Stockholm takes 50 minutes by car during rush hour, but the P-12, which can reach 50 kilometers per hour, can complete the distance between the two places in about 25 minutes. The biggest problem with electric vehicles is that they require heavy batteries. For water-going vehicles, this is a bigger problem. To solve this problem, Candela uses legs that protrude into the water and act like wings, and hydrofoils that propel the boat into the air, making it as fast as an airplane during takeoff.
Hydrofoil is nothing new, but electric power and automatic controls are something new for a ferry. The P-12 will have twin propulsion systems powered by 180 kWh batteries and can be used for three hours without recharging. The 12-meter-long and 4.5-meter-wide, 8.5-metric-ton boat will have a capacity of 30 passengers. Candela, there are some hurdles to building the P-12. The most interesting of these is the need to build separate toilets for the passengers and the entire crew. In addition to the toilets, speed limits on the sea roads in Sweden seemed to be a major obstacle in front of the P-12. declared that he may have an exemption.
All this means that the Candela P-12, when built, uses less energy per passenger than a hybrid electric bus, goes faster than a car, and reduces fuel and maintenance costs by 40 percent. At the same time, the P-12 will cause less damage to the local environment both above and below the water as it floats.