An electric boat went into action in the sea in San Francisco Bay area. The hydrofoil-equipped boat picked up speed and it emerged over the water, getting attraction of the nearby passengers in the ferry.
Importantly, the engine of the electric boat does not create a thundering sound.
In the United States and elsewhere, such electric boats with computer-guided hydrofoils can replace the convention ferries in the years ahead.
“It’s half plane and half boat; almost like riding a magic carpet,” French sailor Tanguy de Lamotte said. He was sitting in the the helm of the 8.5-meter (28-foot) long C8.
De Lamotte heads Candela’s US arm. He has completed the Vendee Globe solo round-the-world race in a sailboat twice as large as the C8.
He said that the Swedish company’s ambition is to produce most energy-efficient electric boats to get rid of the fossil fuels.
Hydrofoils acts as underwater wings and lifts the boat as it gets speed, leaving the rotor and hydrofoils immersed. The boat also avoids nausea-causing waves or swells, he added.
