A Swedish crew successfully piloted a Candela C-8 Polestar edition foiling electric boat from Europe to North Africa, marking the first-ever intercontinental journey by an electric vessel. The vessel traveled from Sotogrande, Spain, to Ceuta, North Africa, in just over an hour and matched the speed of conventional fast ferries. The Candela C-8 used just 40 kWh of energy, about €8 of energy, for the 24-nautical mile trip across the Gibraltar Strait. Similar sized gasoline-powered boats burn around 50 liters of fuel for the trip, costing around €90. The vessel also uses two hydrofoils to lift itself above the water, reducing drag and cutting energy consumption by 80%, according to Candela. With more than 3.5 million annual crossings in the Gibraltar Strait, Candela used this crossing to demonstrate the potential of introducing electric vessels to the strait. “We slash energy use by 80%, eliminate emissions, and enable fast, smooth crossings at a fraction of the cost — opening the door to entirely new, sustainable ferry routes across the Mediterranean,” said Gustav Hasselskog, Candela’s CEO and founder.