Candela reveals most efficient boat motor ever with the electric C-POD
Stockholm-based electric boat manufacturer, Candela, has launched what it is calling the most efficient boat motor yet, the Candela C-POD.
According to Candela, the C-POD is the longest-lasting boat motors ever made, with an almost unlimited lifetime. The 50kW motor has a propeller efficiency of 80%, resulting in more than 3000 maintenance-free operating hours.
The C-POD is also without gears, with two ultra-compact electric motors mounted under the water in a torpedo-like socket, directly driving the propellers. Each motor is coupled directly to a propeller, which minimizes friction losses.
The engineering behind the drive pod has resulted in a completely silent user experience which is also zero-emissions.
Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s founder and CEO, commented on the project: “What would be the best boat propulsion one could imagine? Here are some ideas: electric, completely silent, without oil changes and with an almost unlimited lifetime. Add to that almost no losses – converting most of the energy to thrust.”
By placing the motors underwater, Candela has also eliminated the issue of heat. The Candela C-POD engineers designed the slim pod drive to be directly and efficiently cooled by the flow of seawater, thereby enabling higher operating temperatures and extracting more power from the motors.
Hasselskog added: “The first obstacle towards a very small high-power motor is heat. You can take any motor and give it three times more electricity than it is rated for. It will work. But only for a few seconds. Then it melts. With Candela C-POD, we have almost unlimited cooling power – we just need to get heat from the coils to the surrounding water flow.”
The Candela C-POD was born from the unique requirements Candela places on electric drive trains. The company’s electric hydrofoil craft fly above the water on foils and consume 80% less power than traditional powerboats, making a more efficient motor directly translates to huge gains in range.
The Candela C-POD will be fitted to the Candela P-30 electric shuttle ferry, the Candela P-12 water taxi as well as future leisure boats.
Developing 50 kW for take-off, Candela says a single C-POD motor has enough thrust to propel its 28 foot, 12-person water taxi, the Candela P-12, at a speed of 30 knots. For the company’s bigger 30-person shuttle ferry, the Candela P-30, two Candela C-POD’s will provide the same speed.
