World's first electric foiling ferry launched in Sweden

Nova departed from its dock in the suburb of Tappström, powered by its electric motors, and took off. Flying silently a meter above the water’s surface, it completed the 15 km route to Stockholm’s City Hall in just over 30 minutes. For commuters on the world’s first electric foiling ship, the usual morning commute took half the usual time.

Nova is the first of Candela’s new P-12 models to enter service. Its computer-controlled hydrofoil wings lift the hull above water, reducing energy consumption by 80% compared with conventional vessels by cutting water friction.

“This is a paradigm shift for urban transport and a revival of our waterways,” said Candela founder and chief executive Gustav Hasselskog.

“Conventional ships haven’t evolved much in 100 years and are among the least energy-efficient transport modes, only rivaled by a battle tank,” said Hasselskog.

The challenge with conventional fast vessels is they consume enormous amounts of energy at high speeds, plowing through the water. This makes electrification difficult, as their range is limited, even with large batteries.

Water transport is costly and slow, as the vessels create large wakes, limiting their speed in the city center. Candela P-12’s hydrofoil technology addresses these challenges.

Since Nova flies above the water rather than pushing through it like conventional vessels, it creates minimal wake. As a result, the ferry is allowed to travel at high speeds within the city limits, where other vessels are restricted by wake regulations. It runs on 100% renewable electricity, and emits minimal noise even at high speeds, thanks to its electric C-POD motors with no mechanical transmission.

The route is a pilot project run by Candela, Trafikverket and Region Stockholm which aims to explore how hydrofoil technology can enable faster, more affordable, and emissions-free maritime travel, creating new transit patterns in Stockholm.