Candela, the manufacturer of luxurious electric boats, has just unveiled its brand new and state-of-the-art electric boat, but this time with the additional specification of a flying taxi. So, this contemporary flying electric taxi boat named the “Candela P-8 Voyager,” is composed of a hydrofoil system rather than traditional combustion engines and was announced by the company at the event at Salone Nautico in Venice on May 30th. The working principle of this P-8 Voyager is the same as that of Candela’s C-8 electric speedboat.
This incredible flying electric taxi boat will play a pivotal role in enhancing the ferry experience for passengers. As per Candela’s chief of commercial vessels, Erik Eklund, “You get the seakeeping ability of a 100-foot ship in a 28-footer, really. Foiling in bad weather will be the ultimate experience of nature. Taking in the dramatic scenery, breaking waves and all, while safely flying over it in absolute silence. This is a new level of luxury that, I dare say, has never been experienced at sea.”
More than 50 engineers, along with the aerospace staff, worked on developing and incorporating the hydrofoil system for this boat to ensure a smooth and comfortable ride. However, this masterpiece is constructed in a way that it doesn’t require any maintenance services. Moreover, there is an onboard flight controller that helps in lifting off the boat, and that is its most interesting feature. This is what makes it a flying taxi, along with an electric boat.
The angle of attack is automatically adjusted by the onboard flight controller as soon as the boat achieves a speed limit of 16 knots. At that time, the boat will lift itself into the air, leaving behind every kind of turbulence in the sea. Coupled with this, due to the inclusion of a hydrofoil system, the boat is not vulnerable to any of the wake mechanisms. The system is designed to tolerate wakes up to 120–150 cm, including certain hindrances of four to five feet. Fortunately, every kind of terrain-like feature and wake are covered up within the given limit, thus guaranteeing a controlled and leveled flight for passengers.
Not to mention, this masterpiece has room for six passengers and crew and has a C-POD submerged motor. These motors have the potential to provide 50kW of energy to their propellors and can run for up to 3000 hours without service. This is just like a backup system for this 8.5-meter-wide boat, and that is the reason why it doesn’t require any maintenance facilities.
As Erik Eklund said, “For commercial operators to go electric, we knew the service aspect was important. No matter if you run a whale-watching business or if you’re the captain of a super yacht – our aim is to have zero downtime on this boat due to maintenance.”
