Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By John Smith •
Published: 02 Nov 2024 • 13:08
• 1 minute read
A new Swedish company, Candela has introduced what it claims to be the world’s first electric hydrofoil ferry which covers the route from Tappström, to Stockholm City Hall, 15km in 30 minutes.
Clean and fast electric motors cut time and pollution
Using electric motors it literally flies silently one metre above the water cutting the usual travel time in half and according to Gustav Hasselskog, founder and CEO of Candela “This is a paradigm shift for urban transport and a revival of our waterways.”
If this iconic first ferry route turns out to be both successful from an environmental point of view and profitable for the company then this could be a major breakthrough in city water transport, not just for Stockholm but also for much of the world.
Ferry literally flies though the air above the water
Named Nova, this 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 per cent compared to conventional vessels by cutting water friction.
According to the company, conventional fast vessels consume enormous amounts of energy at high speeds and with around 70 such vessels being used in Stockholm waters, the difference with Nova is that they use more fossil fuels than the city’s buses and trains combined, despite representing only a small share of total passengers carried.
Ferry travels at high speeds in built up areas as their is no wake
Nova however 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.
In addition it is easy to charge, requiring no major docking area, runs on 100 per cent renewable energy and creates little noise even at high speeds.
It won’t be able to operate when the waters freeze over but the concept is already attracting interest from warmer areas such as New Zealand and Saudi Arabia and this is one of a number of innovative new clean travel concepts being developed in Sweden.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our
Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica.
Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene.
Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development.
Share your story with us by emailing [email protected], by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
Leave a comment Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Website
Comment for robots
Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE!
Covering the Almeria, Axarquia, Costa Blanca North, Costa Blanca South, Costa del Sol , Costa Calida, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home.
With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close.
Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Close
