Swedish electric boat maker Candela is in the process of deploying its Candela P-12 hydrofoil ferry in both Sweden and New Zealand. The P-12, like other hydrofoils in the Candela range, “flies above the water on computer-guided hydrofoils”. It has limited drag in the water, leaving minimal wake behind the boat, which affords an 80 percent reduction in energy usage compared with other electric vessels – and therefore a longer range and higher speed.
Its IoT componentry is not clear (albeit requested by RCR); but Candela claims to have “had to develop nearly all [its] technology in-house”. The firm says: “The P-12 is stabilised in real-time by a computer system – a flight controller which prevents… pitching and slamming. The controller uses sensors to measure the wave height in front of the vessel, and then adjusts the hydrofoils’ angle of attack 100 times per second to provide a smooth ride over them.”
As such, Candela says its hydrofoils eliminate motion sickness. It has issued a press statement that New Zealand electric utility Meridian Energy is to deploy the P-12 to ferry workers across Lake Manapōuri in New Zealand, starting next year (2025). The P-12 has been deployed already as a pilot in Stockholm, to join the city’s fleet of public transportation ferries to shuttle passengers around the local open-water archipelago of 30,000 islands and skerries.
Local mobile operator Tele2 is likely involved in the supply of IoT connectivity for the Stockholm pilot – on the grounds it was involved with Candela’s C-8 leisure boat, which launched in 2019. It wrote in a blog, dating back to the C-8 period: “When it comes to IoT, Candela is a prime example of an IoT-enabled product that uses IoT to serve customers globally. Data on everything from motor performance to the location of the boat is logged.”
Read more: rcrwireless.com
Image: Candela
