Swedish electric foil innovator Candela has revealed that its P-12 ferry is heading to the United States for the first time. Through a partnership with Fly Tahoe, the machine will significantly reduce travel times for tourists heading to Lake Tahoe ski resorts.

Candela revealed for the first time plans an electric foiling ferry in 2021, although what will later become the P-12 transformed into something very different from the first renderings.

The completed passenger craft has made its maiden flight in Stockholm last year and since entered service in the Swedish capital, with company founder and CEO Gustav Hasselskog announcing “a paradigm shift for urban transportation and a renaissance of our waterways.”

Candela

The order book has also opened up, and we’ve already seen the people behind this ridiculously ambitious project. Neom gigaproject in Saudi Arabia, securing eight P-12s to transport people. Today, the “world’s first flying electric ferry” is heading to the United States to provide a fast north-south connection across North America’s largest alpine lake, Lake Tahoe.

The 30-seat water taxi has enough space for ski equipment in winter and bicycles in summer. A combination of direct-drive electric propulsion and computer-guided wings lifts the hull out of the water at high speed, allowing stable and efficient flight above the surface while leaving little wake.

“It basically functions like a jet fighter, which is constantly balanced using ailerons,” Hasselskog explained. “The principle of the P-12 is the same, except our wings fly in water rather than air.”

The P-12 is 39.24 feet long (11.99 m), has a width of 14.76 feet (4.5 m), and weighs 10 tons. It can be offered in a number of different interior configurations, but something similar to the one pictured below will be the likely choice for Lake Tahoe.

Candela

The two C-POD electric motors offer a peak power of 320 kW and the onboard battery bank is rated good for 40 nautical miles at service speed. DC charging up to 200 kW is supported for fast recharges.

Ferry service is run by local operator Fly Tahoe, and a cruising speed of around 30 mph (25 knots) will take passengers to the 14 ski resorts scattered around the lake in less than 30 minutes, at instead of having to take a 2 hour circuit around the lake by road during the winter season.

“It is ironic that while millions of people, myself included, drive around Lake Tahoe to admire its beauty, the road sediment we generate contributes to the greatest threat to the lake’s famous cobalt blue clarity,” commented Ryan Meinzer, Founder and CEO of Fly Tahoe. “Our service will provide faster transportation than cars or buses, while keeping the lake blue.”

And it won’t just save tourists time, since Lake Tahoe doesn’t freeze, the operator expects the service to be available year-round for locals and visitors.

Candela’s deployment isn’t the first time we’ve seen foiling electric water taxis operating in U.S. waters – a five-seater Sea Bubbles caused a sensation in 2019 and Navier for example, added another passenger to the flight team earlier this year. But with a capacity of 30 customers and a crew, the P-12 is billed as the first electric foiling ferry in the United States.

It’s unclear when the new service will debut, but you can see the type of experience on offer in the video below.

Source: Candela