Stockholm to commission electric fast ferry in 2023
Artist impression of the fast ferry (Source: Candela Speedboat)
A 30-passenger all-electric ferry is due to enter service in Stockholm in 2023. Funded by the city’s boat builder, Candela Speedboat, and the Swedish transport authority, the 12m-long P-30 is claimed to be the world’s fastest and most energy-efficient electric vessel, with the longest range.
Candela said that the craft will reduce energy consumption by 80% compared with today’s most efficient fast ferries. It will consume about three kW/hours of energy per nautical mile, roughly equivalent to the consumption of a modern electric hybrid bus or about a tenth of a conventional vessel.
Eventually, the city’s ageing fleet of 60 diesel-powered boats that currently transport commuters and visitors between the city and the 30,000-island archipelago nearby could all be replaced. With an endurance of three hours at 20 knots, the P-30 will be able to serve even the furthest outlying islands, its builder said in a statement.
Gustav Hasselskog, Candela founder and CEO, commented: “Today, most of our waterways are unused for mass transit even though most highways are congested during rush-hour traffic. Opening up urban waterways for high-speed electric transport can revolutionise commuting in cities such as San Francisco, Seoul or Amsterdam at a very low cost. There’s no need to build new infrastructure.”
Sea trials will begin in 2022 before the ferry starts commercial operation early the following year.
