HYDROFOILING ELECTRIC BOATS are coming to New Zealand through a partnership with Next Generation Boats, based in Wanaka.

The first Candela C-7 speedboat will arrive in early April 2022, followed by the bigger C-8 at the end of the year.

Until now no electric motorboat has been able to offer the combination of high speed and long range boaties are used to. Even the best lithium-ion batteries get drained after a very short time of spirited driving.

Stockholm-based Candela has cracked the code to long-range electric craft. Flying on computer-stabilised hydrofoils, Candela’s day-cruiser C-8 and sportsboat C-7 use only a fraction of the energy conventional motorboats use at speeds of 30 knots.

Once foil-borne, Candela’s boats can travel for 2–2,5 hours at a speed of 20 knots and cover 50nm. The on-board computer automatically adjusts pitch, roll and height to account for side winds, waves and people moving around in the boat.

The Candela C-Pod submerged pod-drive is whisper-quiet and the boat is virtually wake free.

The C-8 is Europe’s best-selling electric craft, with over 100 orders for the $520 000, all-carbon fibre day-cruiser since its launch in late 2021.

Next Generation Boats www.ng-boats.com