A Candela P-12 electric hydrofoiling ferry is making its way to the Berlin waters. The ship has been purchased by Funkhaus/Reederei Riedel and will most likely be a game changer for transportation within the German capital, as the project is also intended as a showcase for the entire city.
Founded in 2014 by Gustav Hasselskog, the goal of the Swedish ship manufacturer Candela has always been to develop electric boats with both range and speed. At the end of last year, Candela’s P-12 hit the market, the “world’s first high-speed and long-range electric shuttle ship”.
With a range of 40 nautical miles and a cruising speed of 25 knots per hour, it is adapted for city use. And thanks to its three carbon fibre wings that extend from under the hull, the ship “flies” above the water, thus creating a near-zero wake. Previously, the deployment of the ferry this autumn in Stockholm had already been announced and now Berlin will be joining the P-12 ranks.
“Berlin is a city with a lot of water, but this is hardly used for transport. We want to open up waterways for fast, emission-free transport. We need that if we want to reduce emissions and congestion on the roads,” said the company’s Brigitte Junker.
Funkhaus/Reederei Riedel already operates a fleet of vessels in the city and, according to its owner Uwe Fabich, the new ship will connect the East Side Gallery, near Ostbahnhof, with the cultural hub Funkhaus. At first, the service will run on an hourly basis but as the journey only takes 10 minutes, this might be extended in the future – the one P-12 could make two return journeys in under 60 minutes. During rush hour, the P-12 would become the fastest way to travel between the two locations.
“There’s always a traffic jam. Public transportation isn’t much better. Tram line 21, which heads in this direction, is one of the few Berlin tram lines with a 20-minute frequency. After getting off, there’s still a long walk to the Funkhaus,” said Fabich.
Even though the price for a P-12, which can transport up to 30 passengers at a time, is set at around 1,7 million euros, the investment is expected to pay off, with operating costs 90% lower than diesel ships, according to Junker, thanks to the low energy consumption and the maintenance-free electric motors. The ship can also be adapted to existing dock heights, ranging from 0,2 to 2 metres high, and a conventional car DC charger can fill up the ship in just one hour.
