Aircraft technology, lots of sensors and a flight controller that makes the boat artificially stable – this is something that is under the hood of Candela’s new taxi boat P-8 Voyager.
P-8 Voyager from Swedish Candela is the world’s first electric hydrofoil boat for passenger transport. Recently, the boat was presented at the boat show Salone Nautico in Venice. The boat has developed as a competitor to smaller and faster passenger boats with internal combustion engines.
– The idea is that P-8 Voyager will replace the world fleets of taxi boats, rib boats and yacht tenders. Because it runs on electricity and flies above the water surface, it can drive into shallow bays, over coral reefs or other sensitive ecosystems, says Mikael Mahlberg, communications manager at Candela, to Ny Teknik.
He is currently in Venice to present both the P-8 Voyager and the slightly smaller recreational boat variant C-8.
– It is the physical world premiere for C-8 here, at the same time as we show renderings on P-8. The boats share the same technology platform, but the P-8 has a larger battery and is a slightly heavier boat that is also certified for commercial use, says Mikael Mahlberg.
“A computer that calculates the wave height”
He does not want to reveal how big the P-8 battery is, but for the C-8 it is about 44 kWh. Since the boat draws 1 kWh per nautical mile at 23 knots, the range is almost 8 ordinary land miles.
– Just the reach is one of the things that impresses the industry people here at the fair. An ordinary electric boat draws seven to eight times more electricity than our boat, he says.
The secret behind the low energy consumption is the boat’s carrier plane that acts as the wings of an aircraft and provides lifting power when the water flow over the wing becomes strong enough. When the boat goes faster than 16 knots, it lifts. Once in the air, the boat’s flight controller balances the journey with the help of input from GPS, gyros, accelerometers or any of the boat’s ten different sensors.
– The flight controller is simply a computer that calculates the wave height and where it is located. Then it helps to stabilize the boat in the same way as a Jas plane or Segway, says Mikael Mahlberg.
Inside of a Candela P-8 Voyager. Photo: Candela
He explains that the average water level is one of the most difficult things to calculate, as wave peaks and troughs can be confusing, along with all the other potential sources of error.
– The system creates a 3D image of the water surface using advanced algorithms. The whole thing is quite complicated and the software took six years for us to develop. But now we have solved it and are also the first in the world with it, says Mikael Mahlberg.
The boat has the so-called C-Pod engines underwater, which improves cooling and simplifies service. In addition, the electric motors drive the propellers directly, which removes the transmission noise that occurs in ordinary boat engines. This also makes it cheaper to manufacture.
Candela has plans for the charging infrastructure
Mikael Mahlberg envisages that P-8 Voyager will be able to replace a large part of the world market for taxi boats and smaller passenger transport. The boat fits particularly well in sensitive environments such as Venice. Last year, Mahlberg was out on a ride with the mayor of Venice.
– Venice is a great showcase for our technology. The canals are actually built for gondolas, and the houses stand on ancient poles, which makes them sensitive to waves, which makes Candela fit perfectly here, he says.
Candela P-8 Voyager. Photo: Candela
When it comes to charging infrastructure, Candela has big plans in sight. During the autumn, the company will roll out a virtual charging network. In practice, this means that Candelabåtarna’s skippers get help to find the charging stations that are already around today in marinas, guest harbors and at lakeside restaurants.
– Admittedly, there are no fast chargers, but during the night you have time to fully charge. If there is also a three-phase, you can fully charge in a few hours, says Mikael Mahlberg.
The actual battery in Candela’s boats comes from a car manufacturer, which has its explanation.
– The tests for car batteries are very rigorous and it is possible to buy large batches, which pushes up prices, says Mikael Mahlberg.
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