Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a flying ferry

The Candela P-12 is three feet above the water. With only its hydrofoils cutting through the water, the boat leaves virtually no wake, noise, or emissions, a sea change from the hulking diesel-powered ferries that currently haul commuters through the archipelago.

The P-12 hasn't been built yet, but it is a water-bound fantasy. The boat will be launched in November and will be followed by a trial next year, according to the CEO. The goal is to have the ferry in the public transportation fleet.

Cutting carbon emissions from ferries is a priority for a city surrounded by water. The city's existing fleet of 60 ferries emits 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, making up 8 percent of total shipping emissions in Sweden—and they're spewing that air pollution in cities, raising public health concerns. "Shipping has to stop using fossil fuel, fast," says Simon Bullock, a researcher at the University of Manchester's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. "For short journeys, electric ships can be a big part of the solution."

Sweden is working towards emissions-free ferries by the year 2025. Local authorities in the Swedish capital have been testing electric ferries and a model from Green City Ferries. In Northern Ireland, a trial of a "flying" style boat is taking place, and in the UK, a project is converting diesel ferries to electric. More than 95 percent of US ferries are powered by diesel, which is more than 10 percent of carbon emissions, according to EU data.

Advertisement

Making ferries quick enough to persuade more people to ditch cars is one of the things Candela believes is more important than emissions-free energy. During rush hour, it takes 50 minutes by car to get from Tappstrm to central Stockholm, but the P-12 can get you there in 25 minutes. The agency that runs public transport boats in the archipelago carries 1.2 million passengers annually, but it's not as popular as other forms of public transportation in the city.

Heavy batteries make it difficult to power any form of transportation with electricity. Drag in the water is a problem for boats. The Candela uses hydrofoils, legs that extend down into the water and act like wings, to propel the boat up into the air. The foils are protected in the harbor. The foils are lowered and you hit the throttle. The control system takes care of the whole takeoff sequence.

Electric power and automated controls are used on hydrofoil boats. The Candela P-12 will be able to run for three hours without needing to charge. The boat has a length of 12 meters and a width of 4.5 meters.