The world’s first fully electric hydrofoiling ferry completed a record-setting transit from Sweden’s west coast to Oslo, Norway, covering 160 nautical miles, according to builders of the Candela P-12.
The voyage demonstrated “that electric passenger vessels are no longer confined to short, fixed routes, or dependent on costly, purpose-built charging infrastructure,” Candela said in a Feb. 2 statement.
The Candela crew undertook the mission, billed as “the longest ever by an electric passenger ship” from Gothenburg, Sweden, to Oslo, on a serial-production P-12. With computer-controlled submerged wings to lift the vessel above the water at speeds exceeding 20 knots, the P-12 reduces energy consumption by around 80% compared to conventional vessels.
Already used in Stockholm’s public transit system, the Candela P-12 is the fastest electric passenger vessel in operation, with a service speed of 25 knots and exceeding 30 knots during trials, with a range of up to 40 nautical miles at cruising speed on a single charge.
In Oslo, several electric high-speed ferries are already in service. The fastest electric ferry, m/s Baronen, operates on a fixed 10-nautical-mile route, “relying on swapping a deck-mounted battery container with several megawatt-hours of capacity at the end of each trip,” according to Candela. “While several swap stations have been completed, the system has faced delays and cost overruns, and deployment of additional stations has been delayed, limiting route flexibility.”
Candela says the P-12’s “efficiency allows it to charge from standard, easily deployable automotive DC fast chargers.” En route to Oslo, the vessel’s crew charged using a portable 360 kW Skagerak Energi Move DC charger connected to a mobile battery system, towed behind a Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup.
“Charging infrastructure is the hidden cost of electrifying conventional vessels,” said Gabriele De Mattia, project engineer at Candela and lead engineer for the record-setting voyage. “In many cases, building megawatt-scale chargers – especially where the grid is weak or undeveloped – can cost as much as the vessels themselves. The breakthrough with P-12 is that it is fast to charge and extremely flexible in where it can operate.”
Over three days, with demonstration and charging stops along the route, the crew charged along Sweden’s existing DC fast-charging network using Aqua SuperPower stations. Where fixed chargers were unavailable, relied on the truck-towed battery system by Skagerak Energi.
With the Candela P-12, “observers were presented with a clear comparison,” according to the company. “The total electricity cost for the world’s longest electric sea journey amounted to just over €200.”
