2023 Candela C-8 Polestar Power Uses Polestar 2 Batteries, Its Range Will Impress You

The C-8 is their high-performance hydrofoil boat, which is designed to fly smoothly above the water at a cruising speed of 22 knots (25 miles per hour or 41 kilometers per hour).

Going electric isn’t exactly a hydrofoil breakthrough. On the other hand, the Candela C-8 is a breakthrough in this craft segment due to its relation to Polestar. The lithium-ion pack and fast-charging technology are sourced from the Polestar 2 Standard Range Single Motor five-door liftback.

Gustav Hasselskog, the big kahuna of Candela, highlights that his company designed “the first electric vessel that can travel to destinations that were previously only reachable by combustion-engined boats,” a statement that will be undeniably challenged by a handful of people in the know.

On the other hand, this partnership is a first for Polestar, improving the performance brand’s eco-friendly image. Capable of 57 nautical miles (66 miles or 106 kilometers) at the aforementioned cruising speed, the C-8 boasts a C-POD direct drive pod motor and computer-guided hydrofoils.

The Swedes also wax lyrical about reduced energy consumption compared to conventional motorboats, promising improvements as high as 80 percent. This interesting-looking machine serves as the successor of the C-7 from 2019. Built in a limited run of 32 units, the forerunner is good for 20 knots (23 miles per hour or 37 kilometers per hour). Its range is also a wee bit worse than the Polestar-powered C-8, as in 50 nautical miles (58 miles or 93 kilometers).

Capable of accommodating 8 passengers, the C-8 sold more than 150 examples to date. Touted as the best-selling electric premium boat currently in production, the C-8 will soon be joined by two commercial vessels in the guise of the P-8 Voyager taxi boat and P-12 electric ferry.

Far more expensive than the Polestar 2, the Candela C-8 is listed by the company’s online configurator with a starting price of €330,000 ($356,225 at current exchange rates) at press time. 12,000 more euros buys you the C-8 T-Top, and 15,000 more euros gets you the C-8 Hardtop. Customer deliveries for all three C-8s are estimated for the second quarter of 2024.

The Polestar 2 carries a starting price of $48,400 stateside. As opposed to the 69-kWh battery of the C-8, the standard specification of the Polestar 2 in this part of the world includes a 78-kWh battery with 75 usable kWh.

Available in single- and twin-motor flavors, the unimaginatively named 2 is EPA-rated up to 270 miles (435 kilometers) and 260 miles (418 kilometers), respectively. The front-wheel-drive 2 needs 7 seconds on the nose to hit 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour), topping at 100 mph (160 kph). The Long Range improves to 4.5 or 4.2 seconds with the Performance Pack, whereas top speed is limited to 127 mph (205 kph).