Gathering electricity

Teams from around the world have gathered in Monaco this week to race in the 8th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, hosted by the Yacht Club de Monaco, a competition that “aims to stimulate the creativity of tomorrow’s engineers and the industry to develop propulsion methods using clean energy”.

The Energy Boat Challenge is the world’s biggest green energy boat race with 35 teams from 20 countries entering electric, solar and hydrogen boats that compete in three different categories. A wide variety of teams – from university engineering students to commercial electric boat makers – will race in the Solar, Energy and Open Sea classes.

Sweden’s Candela has confirmed that the C-7, the brand’s foiling electric boat in serial production, will take part in the competition and be available for media test drives.

Named the ‘Tesla of the Seas’ by The Economist in February, the C-7 features a digital, active hydrofoil system, enabling a smoother, quieter ride as its moves above the sea surface. The brand has stated in a press release that this addition uses 80 percent less energy than other electric boats on the market.