Stockholm to increase Candela P-12 foiling ferry service

Photo: Candela

The world’s first electric hydrofoil ferry to enter public service, the Candela P-12 Nova is set to return to the waters of Stockholm on April 15 after the ice season.

Candela P-12 is the world’s first passenger ferry that combines electric propulsion with hydrofoil technology, allowing it to literally fly above the water surface—with lower energy consumption and higher speeds.

As the service resumes, new statistics from Region Stockholm confirm that the vessel is a major success—both for passengers and the environment.

Nova emits 95% less CO2 compared to the conventional diesel-powered vessels Lux and Sunnan, which operate the same route, and use 84% less energy per passenger-kilometer.

At the same time, statistics show that Nova is extremely popular; most departures have been fully booked—often with long queues. The popularity stems from Nova reducing travel time between Tappström (Ekerö center) and Stockholm City Hall to 30 minutes, compared to about an hour by car or bus.

The data also shows that Nova attracts more people to travel on water, with a 30% increase in ridership on route 89.

“Nova is drawing commuters to the other vessels as well. That’s especially exciting, since one of our goals is to show that with fast, comfortable waterborne transport, we can get car commuters to switch to waterborne transport,” says Gustav Hasselskog, CEO and founder of Candela.

Region Stockholm, which operates the service, will now increase Nova’s service from five days a week to daily operations by May.

Candela says that, with a cruising speed of 25 knots, the Candela P-12 is the fastest electric ship in the world. It is also faster than Stockholm’s fastest diesel-powered ferries. Thanks to its speed and low wake signature, the vessel is well-suited to both urban areas, where speed restrictions are typically in place due to conventional ferries causing damaging wake, and sensitive ecosystems.

“Demonstrating that the technology is mature and fit for demanding public transport use is important,” says Hasselskog. “This is the third generation of our foiling technology, and with lessons learned from producing over 100 leisure vessels, we’re scaling up production to meet demand.” Candela already has P-12 customers around the world – from Saudi Arabia to New Zealand and the USA.

“We are incredibly happy that Region Stockholm has enabled us to demonstrate the hydrofoil technology in the city’s public transport,” says Hasselskog. “We see that waterways in most cities have enormous potential for fast, low-cost, and emission-free transport that can relieve road networks and connect communities. This is just the beginning.”

THE NUMBERS

• Nova’s CO₂ emissions: 23 g/pkm; the average for other vessels on the route is 439 g/pkm.
• Nova’s energy consumption: 0.39 kWh/pkm; the average for other vessels on the route is 3.31 kWh/pkm.
• Fastest travel time with Nova direct between Tappström and Klara Mälarstrand: approx. 30 minutes (with speed exemption at 22 knots from Gröndalsbron to City Hall). Other boats on the line take 45–55 minutes.
• 120 departures completed
• 2,326 total passengers carried
• Occupancy: 80.83%, in reality higher due to onboard training personnel.