Polestar 2 Batteries Power Electric Boat That Cruises Above Water

Polestar is slipping into the water. The company is supplying its batteries and charging tech to the Swedish company Candela for the electric C-8 boat.

The C-8 uses the 69-kilowatt-hour battery pack from the standard-range, single-motor Polestar 2. The DC fast-charging technology also comes from the electric vehicle.

Candela expects the C-8 to have a range of 57 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 22 knots (25 miles per hour or 41 kilometers per hour). The builder claims the high-speed range is two-to-three times longer than a conventional electric speedboat.

The C-8 has retractable hydrofoils and a direct-drive motor pod. In shallow water or when at the harbor, the elements are near the hull to protect them. When extended, water flows over these computer-guided pieces in a matter similar to a wing through the air and lifts the boat out of the water. This reduces drag and increases efficiency. For a better look at it raising above the waves, check out the embedded video above.

Candela offers the C-8 in three variants. The Daycruiser has a simple, wrap-around windshield. The hardtop adds a roof, and the T-Top has open sides but a covering over occupants’ heads. The cabin below the cockpit offers sleeping space for two adults and two children.

The C-8 is Candela’s first high-volume watercraft. It previously made the C-7 electric boat with a range of 50 nautical miles at 20 knots (23 mph or 37 kph). The company made a limited run of 32 examples and completed production in 2021.

Candela says it already has over 150 orders for the C-8. Deliveries are supposed to begin in spring 2024. The company plans to expand in 2023 by showing the P-8 Voyager taxi boat and P-12 electric ferry. Both of them use electric hydrofoil technology. 

There are other efforts to adapt electric vehicle know-how for use on water. For example, John Vo, the former manufacturing chief at Tesla, founded Blue Innovations Group to create a battery-powered boat. The company outlined the R30 as a 30-foot craft with a liquid-cooled 221-kWh battery and two motors making a total of 800 hp (597 kW). It estimated the top speed to be about 39 knots (45 mph or 72 kph).