Polestar 2 Batteries Power Electric Boat That Cruises Above Water

Republished By Plato

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Polestar is slipping into the water. The company is supplying its batteries and charging tech to the Swedish company Candela for the electric C-8 boat.

The C-8 uses the 69-kilowatt-hour battery pack from the standard-range, single-motor Polestar 2. The DC fast-charging technology also comes from the electric vehicle.

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Candela expects the C-8 to have a range of 57 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 22 knots (25 miles per hour or 41 kilometers per hour). The builder claims the high-speed range is two-to-three times longer than a conventional electric speedboat.

The C-8 has retractable hydrofoils and a direct-drive motor pod. In shallow water or when at the harbor, the elements are near the hull to protect them. When extended, water flows over these computer-guided pieces in a matter similar to a wing through the air and lifts the boat out of the water. This reduces drag and increases efficiency. For a better look at it raising above the waves, check out the embedded video above.

Candela offers the C-8 in three variants. The Daycruiser has a simple, wrap-around windshield. The hardtop adds a roof, and the T-Top has open sides but a covering over occupants’ heads. The cabin below the cockpit offers sleeping space for two adults and two children.

The C-8 is Candela’s first high-volume watercraft. It previously made the C-7 electric boat with a range of 50 nautical miles at 20 knots (23 mph or 37 kph). The company made a limited run of 32 examples and completed production in 2021.

Candela says it already has over 150 orders for the C-8. Deliveries are supposed to begin in spring 2024. The company plans to expand in 2023 by showing the P-8 Voyager taxi boat and P-12 electric ferry. Both of them use electric hydrofoil technology.

There are other efforts to adapt electric vehicle know-how for use on water. For example, John Vo, the former manufacturing chief at Tesla, founded Blue Innovations Group to create a battery-powered boat. The company outlined the R30 as a 30-foot craft with a liquid-cooled 221-kWh battery and two motors making a total of 800 hp (597 kW). It estimated the top speed to be about 39 knots (45 mph or 72 kph).