New Technology to Save a Sinking City!
It is common knowledge that Venice, Italy, suffers from wake damage, or Moto Ondoso, directly contributing to the city's sinking. This “wake damage” is directly attributed to the wakes created by boats, specifically speeding boats! The excessive waves contribute to building and foundation erosion, and as a result, Venice is sinking. It is estimated that 60% of the wooden pillars holding up the city buildings have been damaged over time. What solutions are available to prevent further damage?
Candela offered up a solution to wake reduction by introducing their C-7 hydrofoil boat last year:
What better way to reduce wakes than creating a boat that can hover above it all. The magic lies beneath the water as the wings provide lift, not unlike an airplane's wings.
The result is no more of this:
The ride is efficient and smooth, with a top speed of 30 knots or just over 34 mph. At a cruising speed of 22 knots, you can expect a range of 50 nautical miles, which is four times as efficient as other typical battery-powered boats. You can attribute this battery range to the boat's ability to hover above it all. The amount of energy used is significantly reduced, given the hull doesn’t have to push away a good deal of water once airborne. You get all of this out of a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery.
The ride is as smooth as expected, given the hull isn’t being affected by the waves crashing along its side. Expect a quiet and less turbulent voyage from location to location once hydrofoil mode has been achieved. It is also important to note the boat is battery-powered, meaning you aren’t putting off any emissions.
Now that the C-8 has become a reality and the C-7 has been retired, what makes the C-8 a worthy successor?
The C-8 is our next-generation boat, built for a broader range of use cases on the water. It’s our first boat with an enclosed cabin and a hybrid mode, in which we make the boat go on plane, similar to a regular non-foiling boat. It’s also the most silent electric boat at high speed, ever conceived. The propulsion unit has been moved under the water surface and is named Candela C-POD. The C-POD is a revolution in and of itself, and won’t be retrofittable on the C-7.
The C-POD can run 3000 hours before having to undergo maintenance. Once you hit 16 knots, the powerful onboard computers will put the boat into hydroplaning mode, and the sensors will do the rest of the work save for steering. Expect to pay a healthy 329,000 dollars to ensure the smoothest and quietest ride on the open water. It's an expensive option but a viable one to ensure Venice doesn’t sink!