Flying Electric Boats Can Turn Chao Phraya River Into a Green Expressway

A new breed of 'flying' electric vessels could provide drastically faster travel times while reducing emissions and costs from Bangkok’s waterborne transport—and elsewhere. This week, Candela will exhibit at Bangkok’s Future Mobility Asia Summit.

Bangkok boasts arguably one of the most extensive networks of waterborne transport in Asia, providing commuters with an option to bypass gridlocked roads, and offering tourists scenic views of the Chao Phraya River. Despite the city's ambitious efforts to electrify the slower vessels in the commuter fleet, the high-speed vessels still run on diesel fuel, which contributes disproportionately to emissions and harmful particles in the city.

"Conventional fast vessels are hard to electrify, as they require huge amounts of energy at high speeds. As their hulls are inefficent, batteries get drained quickly, so you either have to sacrifice range or speed," says Björn Antonsson, Regional CEO of Swedish tech company Candela’s new Asia-Pacific HQ, which is being established in Bangkok.

Candela’s vessels are the first in the world to run on hydrofoils—underwater wings that lift the hull of the vessel above the friction of water, greatly increasing efficiency. At 25 knots, Candela’s new P-12 Shuttle ferry—the first foiling electric ferry in the world—uses just 10% of the energy a conventional, similarly-sized diesel express boat would use. This leads to a long range at high speed on batteries and makes the P-12 very inexpensive to operate, providing a powerful incentive for operators to switch to a a sustainable vessel.

"The hydrofoil technology is a bit of a magic wand. By making our vessels fly, they become very efficient, and so it’s truly a clean, sustainable form of transport, but it also a superior experience for passengers," says Björn Antonsson.

Once foiling, the P-12 is stabilized in real-time by a computer system, which automatically adjusts the hydrofoils 100 times per second to keep the boat stable. The system, tried and tested in two generations of Candela’s leisure boats, keeps the P-12 stable even in waves and wind, leading to a very smooth and quiet ride for the 30 seated passengers.

"It’s often described as a magic carpet ride. You simply fly over waves and chop, and as the electric motors are very quiet, there’s no engine noise, even at 25 knots. Imagine flying at double the speed of current vessels, without feeling waves and with the same cabin noise level as a luxury car," says Björn.

Also, when the P-12 is foiling, it doesn’t create a wake, which allows it to travel at high speed without creating shoreline erosion, damaging dockside infrastructure or moored boats when passing by.

Soon, Candela intends to demonstrate the foiling experience to prospective customers in Thailand. The Candela P-12 has already been adopted for use in Stockholm’s public transport system, and recently been purchased by operators from Berlin to New Zealand. With space for 30 passengers, and storage for bikes and strollers, the P-12 would not just offer offer Thai commuters a fully emission -free way of travel but also an expected 50% reduction in travel times in many cases.

"Bangkok provides a fantastic example in connecting road and waterway public transport. If we electrify the waterways, they have the potential to alleviate road traffic and reduce overall emissions from transport", says Björn Antonsson.

But he also believes a great potential lies in one of the most scenic destinations in the world: Thailand’s island archipelagos.

"Thailand is arguably one of the most loved destinations, with pristine islands that need to be safeguarded from pollution. We offer operators oil-free vessels that create no wake, safeguarding coastlines and marine life, and they are also very economical to run; it’s a win-win-win," says Mr. Antonsson.

Between June 15 and 18, Candela will exhibit at the Future Mobility Asia Summit in Bangkok. Exclusive media experiences will be offered after the show.

Please email mikael.mahlberg@candela.com to book your slot.

Candela P-12 cuts lifetime emissions by 97.5% compared to traditional vessels , a study by KTH University.

Associated Press: