prone to seasickness will appreciate the extremely smooth ride in adverse weather. Flying silently above the waves, the Candela Flight Controller – a computer which regulates the hydrofoils 100 times per second – ensures a steady, smooth ride over waves that would make many feel queasy.
“There’s no other ship that has this kind of active electronic stabilization. Flying aboard the P-12 Shuttle in rough seas will feel more like being on a modern express train than on a boat: it’s quiet, smooth and stable,” says Erik Eklund, Vice President, Commercial Vessels at Candela.
The Region of Stockholm will operate the first P-12 Shuttle ship for a nine-month trial period during 2023. If it meets the high expectations placed on it, the hope is that the city’s fleet of over 70 diesel vessels eventually will be replaced by P-12 Shuttles – but also that land transport from congested highways can shift to the waterways.
“Maritime traffic is the region’s most popular public transport, and I want to expand it. But we need better technology to travel faster and reduce climate impact. Therefore, we are happy to try this new technology for waterborne traffic. This project can contribute to solutions that we can use in Stockholm, but also provides opportunities for both exports and jobs in the Stockholm region,” says Gustav Hemming, Vice President of the Regional Executive Board in Stockholm.
A COMEBACK FOR WATERBORNE TRANSPORT
Ever since faster and cheaper steam trains started to replace expensive and slow coal-fired packet boats in the 1850’s, urban transport has come to rely on land-based vehicles – even in cities like Stockholm, San Francisco, and New York, where the waterways offer natural cross connections between regions and boroughs.
With Candela’s P-12 Shuttle, the current status quo will once again be challenged. In rush hour traffic, the ship is faster than buses and cars on many routes. Thanks to the hydrofoil’s efficiency, it can compete on mileage costs too; and unlike new subway lines or highways, the flying electric super-ship can be inserted on new routes without massive infrastructure investments – all that is needed is a dock and electric power.
The P-12 Shuttle’s handy size – with a comfortable and airy cabin for 30 seated passengers – adds to its versatility. In Stockholm, passenger vessels have a 17% occupancy rate on average, meaning that a 300-passenger ship carries only about 50 people on most days.
Candela’s vision is to replace today’s large, predominantly diesel, ships with nimble fleets of faster and smaller P-12 Shuttles, allowing for more frequent departures and more passengers carried, at a lower cost for the operator. On the Stockholm- Ekerö route, Candela’s proposal is to replace the current pair of
200-person diesel vessels with at least five P-12 Shuttles, which would double passenger volume potential and lower operating cost.
“Instead of two departures per day, there would be a P-12 Shuttle departing every 11 minutes. This allows commuters to ignore timetables and just go to the dock and wait for the next boat,” says Erik Eklund.
MASS PRODUCTION FOR MASS TRANSIT
Candela will be laying the carbon fiber keel for the very first Candela P-12 Shuttle at the company’s new, automated factory in Rotebro, outside Stockholm, towards the end of 2022. After initial tests, the first commuters in Stockholm will embark on the 40-foot vessel in 2023.
The first P-12 Shuttle will be followed by many more, as serial production ramps up at the company’s Rotebro factory. Using production methods already streamlined for Candela’s leisure boat manufacturing, Candela aims to eventually spit out hundreds of P-12 Shuttles a year. The company sees a huge demand from over 600 cities, municipalities, vessel operators and urban developers that already have expressed interest in the P-12 Shuttle as a faster, cheaper, and green alternative to existing diesel ships or land transport.
SPECIFICATIONS Length:
Beam: Weight: Capacity: Motor:
Batteries: Charging:
Top speed:
11.99 meters 4.5 meters 8.5 tonnes
30 passengers seated
2 x Candela C-POD
180 kWh up to
200 kW DC 30 knots
Service speed: 25-27 knots Range:
40-60 nautical miles at 25 knots service speed
The Report • September 2022 • Issue 101 | 113
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