Candela C-8 - An unrivaled experience on the water (2024)

Range
57 NM

Top speed
27 kt

Capacity
8 people8 ppl

The most advanced electric boat battery pack ever comes from… a car. Candela C-8 Polestar Powered uses the same 69 kWh pack as the Polestar 2 electric performance fastback.

Polestar batteries also bring DC charging to the table, which means C-8 now combines the longest electric range with the fastest charging times. The result is the longest-range electric boat on the market, by a factor of two.

The estimated range is 57 nautical miles at 22 knots. This means you can cruise for more than two hours without noise, emissions or wake.

The Candela C-8 is the only electric boat with the range of a petrol boat at higher speeds, and also the only hydrofoiling electric boat available on the market currently. Hydrofoils bring several benefits that other electric boats can’t offer; vastly reduced noise levels at higher speeds, faster charging speeds per NM of travel, a much smoother ride in rough weather or even small waves and little to no wake generation. A battery pack of a 120 kWh capacity or more in a planing boat will only result in 20-30 nautical miles of range at 20 knots (even if some boat makers unrealistically claim higher range). The only way of solving this energy equation is to use hydrofoils. A Candela C-8 can achieve 57 NM with a battery pack with just slightly bigger than half the capacity of competing boats.

Candela C-8’s seakeeping capabilities are second to none for its size. Instead of smashing into the waves, the C-8 flies over them. Thanks to the foils, the ride will be smoother than any conventional boat in moderate waves. Waves up to 1.1 meters pass just under the hull. In rougher conditions, C-8 operates like any other boat- the efficient planing hull and a “planing mode” means that you can operate the boat as you would any other, with the foils acting as a keel to provide extra stability.

The foils are made from carbon fiber and are dimensioned to carry the weight of the boat. Thus, they are extremely strong, so hitting smaller debris will have little to no effect. Hitting a bigger object – a large log, a submerged container or a shallow spot in the water – will result in the foil breaking off at a designated point. Thus, the boat’s hull is spared from damage otherwise incurred on regular boats.

A Candela generally outperforms regular leisure boats in rough weather. The maximum wave height when foiling is approximately 1.2 meters from wave peak to valley.