- Founded
- 2014
- Headquarters
- Frihamnsgatan 25, 115 56 Stockholm, Sweden
- Shipyard location
- Sweden
- Official website
- https://candela.com/
Brand Overview
Swedish builder of electric hydrofoil boats founded in Stockholm in 2014 — the 8.5-metre C-8 leisure boat and the 12-metre P-12 in Voyager and Business versions, flying on computer-controlled carbon-fibre foils driven by its own C-Pod electric motors.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Candela was founded in 2014 by Gustav Hasselskog, who set out, in the company's words, to answer why electric boats could not be better than fossil-fuel ones; Candela Technology AB is based at Frihamnsgatan in Stockholm and says its boats are designed and made in Sweden by a team of more than 200 people from over 20 nationalities. Its first boat, the 7.7-metre C-7 introduced in 2019, took five years of work on the flight controller that keeps an inherently unstable hydrofoil boat flying; it is now offered only pre-owned. The current leisure boat is the 8.5-metre carbon-fibre C-8 with a 69 kWh battery from Polestar and a Candela C-Pod motor, quoted at 22 knots cruising and 27 knots top with a 57-nautical-mile range at cruising speed, and foils that retract for shallow water. The P-12, which the yard calls the world's first long-range high-speed electric hydrofoil ferry and says uses 80% less energy than conventional vessels, is 11.99 metres long with two C-Pods and a 378 kWh battery for 25 knots service speed and up to 40 nautical miles; the P-12 'Nova' runs in Stockholm's public transport, and the Voyager and Business versions carry the platform into private and VIP travel.
Who sails them
Candela owners are early adopters who want silent, wake-free boating without fuel — lake and archipelago homeowners for the C-8, and hotels, resorts, corporate hosts and private owners who use the P-12 Voyager or Business as a quiet, emission-free shuttle over distances of a few tens of miles.
Signature models
The C-8, the 8.5-metre hydrofoil day boat with a Polestar battery that the yard says offers the longest range and highest cruising speed among serial-production electric boats, is the signature; the P-12, already carrying commuters in Stockholm, is the flagship of the professional line.
Strengths
Candela is known for active hydrofoils that lift the hull clear of the water, cutting energy use and wake, its own C-Pod electric motor and flight controller, carbon-fibre construction, fast DC charging, connected helm software with app and free updates, and boats that run on the same technology from an 8.5-metre leisure boat to a 12-metre passenger vessel.
Considerations
Range is modest beside combustion boats and is quoted at cruising or service speed; motor power is given only in kW; draft depends on the foil mode (the C-8 lists 0.5 m in shallow mode to 1.5 m with foils extended); the P-12 pages give no weight, and the P-12 Business specification says up to 20 passengers while its FAQ says 12 seats; the C-7 is available only pre-owned; and owners need AC or DC charging where they keep the boat.
Analysis generated 10/18/2026
Part of
Candela · since 2014
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 4
- Length range
- 7.7–11.99 m
- Hull forms
- Motor Monohull 4
Models by this brand
4 models
History
Candela traces itself to 2014, when its founder Gustav Hasselskog set out to answer a simple question: why can't electric boats be better than fossil-fuel ones? The first boat, the C-7, needed five years of research and development on the control system, because an electric hydrofoil boat is inherently unstable and can only fly if a computer keeps adjusting the foils; Hasselskog calls the first flight magical. The company describes itself as designed and made in Sweden, with a team of more than 200 people from over 20 nationalities working in hydrodynamics, control theory, machine learning and structural engineering. Its stated mission is to eliminate fossil fuels from lakes and oceans, and its latest step is the P-12, which it calls the world's first long-range, high-speed electric hydrofoil ferry; the P-12 'Nova' is already in service in Stockholm.
History written fromcandela.com/about-us/· About usread 10/18/2026