In Stockholm the hydrofoil is electric

It emits 95 percent less CO2 than traditional hydrofoils. And it consumes 80 percent less energy. It would transform marine mobility in Italy.

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hydrofoil
It's called the Candela P-12 Nova, and it has become the most popular means of transport for Stockholmers, reaching the city center from the suburb of Ekerö and vice versa. The fully electric hydrofoil currently operating in the Swedish capital has some very interesting features that make it unique in the world. First, it completely eliminates CO02 emissions: 95 percent less than any other traditional marine vessel. Second, its energy consumption per passenger kilometer is also 84 percent lower than that of other hydrofoils.
How does the Candela P-12 Nova work? It uses electric batteries and submerged fins (hydrofoils) that function similarly to airplane wings: as the vessel gains speed, these fins generate an upward force that lifts the hull out of the water, drastically reducing energy consumption and increasing speed. Speed ​​is precisely one of the electric hydrofoil's strengths: it can reach speeds of up to 30 knots (with a range of 30 nautical miles), meaning the journey from the suburb of Ekerö to central Stockholm takes no more than 25 minutes, exactly half the time it takes to travel the same distance by car. Therefore, the environmental and economic advantages are threefold: there's no pollution, you save money, and you arrive at your destination faster. Finally, a control computer, powered by artificial intelligence, stabilizes the vessel, preventing seasickness even in bad weather.

The company that produces the electric hydrofoil in Stockholm is called CandelaTechnology AB, world leader in electric boats and ferries using computer-controlled hydrofoils,

It is a Swedish company founded by Gustav Hasselskog and specialized in electric boats and ferries using computer-controlled hydrofoils, a company considered worldwide to be at the forefront of the field of sustainable mobility. Gustav Hasselskog's story is highly original. He trained as an engineer, but for many years he worked in management and business consulting. However, around age 40, he felt the urge to return to building something tangible and technological. He quit his job and gave himself about a year to figure out his next project.

The idea came during summers spent in the Stockholm archipelago. His family used a traditional motorboat, powerful but expensive to operate and very energy-hungry. Hasselskog began to wonder why electric cars were making such huge progress while boats continued to consume large amounts of fuel. Studying the problem, he realized that the real obstacle was water resistance: a boat must constantly "push" a huge mass of water to move forward.

His insight was that an electric boat could only function well if it could almost completely emerge from the water. This gave rise to the idea of ​​combining electric propulsion and computer-controlled hydrofoils, precisely what the Candela boats do. The stated goal of Hasselskog, who has since stepped down as CEO while retaining his role as executive chairman, is to make electric maritime transport viable on a large scale, reducing fuel consumption, noise, and wave motion.

And in Italy? The electric hydrofoil, perhaps with Italian-made technology, could be used on a series of routes:

  • among the islands of the Gulf of Naples;
  • between Anzio and the Pontine Islands;
  • between Venice and the lagoon;
  • among the smaller Sicilian islands;
  • along lakes such as Lake Como and Lake Garda.

In many of these routes, traditional hydrofoils already exist; replacing them with electric hydrofoil models could reduce consumption, noise and wave motion. And it would not be an exception in terms of innovation: the modern hydrofoils were developed right here in Italy by Carlo Rodriquez and the Rodriquez Cantieri Navali shipyards in the 1950s. A record we could try to regain.

Cover photo taken from Candela

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