Polestar slipped into the water. The company supplies battery and charging technology to Swedish company Candela for the C-8 electric boat.
The C-8 uses a 69 kilowatt-hour battery pack from a standard single-motor Polestar 2. DC fast charging technology also comes from electric vehicles.
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Candela estimates the C-8 has a range of 57 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 22 knots (25 miles per hour or 41 kilometers per hour). Builders claim a high speed range two to three times longer than conventional electric speedboats.
C-8 has retractable hydrofoil and direct drive motor pod. In shallow water or while in port, the elements stay close to the hull to protect it. When extended, water flows over these computer-guided wedges in a shape similar to wings in the air and lifts the boat out of the water. This reduces drag and increases efficiency. For a better look above the waves, check out the video embedded above.
Candela offers the C-8 in three variants. The Daycruiser has a simple, circular windscreen. The hardtop adds to the roof, and the T-Top has open sides but covers the head of the passenger. The cabin below the cockpit offers sleeping space for two adults and two children.
The C-8 was Candela’s first high-volume watercraft. He previously built the C-7 electric boat with range 50 nautical miles at 20 knots (23 mph or 37 kph). The company made 32 limited examples and finished production in 2021.
Candela says it already has more than 150 orders for the C-8. Deliveries are supposed to start in the spring of 2024. The company plans to expand in 2023 featuring the P-8 Voyager taxi boat and the P-12 electric ferry. Both use electric hydrofoil technology.
There have been other attempts to adapt electric vehicle know-how for use on water. For example, John Vo, the former head of manufacturing at Tesla, founded the Blue Innovation Group to build a battery-powered boat. The company describes the R30 as a 30-foot aircraft with a liquid-cooled 221 kWh battery and two motors producing a total of 800 hp (597 kW). Estimated top speed is around 39 knots (45 mph or 72 kph).
