The Swedish electric ferry startup Candela has sold 11 of its flying electric passenger ferries to Jalvimana, a local transport operator in Mumbai — the largest announced deal in the company’s history.
The Indian city of Mumbai is one of the most congested cities in the world, with over 23m residents. Following the building of an underground metro, the vision of the government of Maharashtra state, brought forward by Ports Minister Nitesh Rane and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is thought to revolutionise transport in the city — using the sea.
According to reports, the government is looking to build the world’s largest electric mass transit system on water, with thousands of electric ferries to transform Mumbai’s waterways into high-speed arteries for clean, efficient transport.
The deal will see JalVimana operate the initial fleet of 11 passenger vessels, with plans to grow significantly in future.
“This is only the beginning,” says Candela founder Gustav Hasselskog.
Candela, which was founded in 2014, has developed a hydrofoil craft — a system with underwater wings that lifts the hull above the water — that uses 80% less energy than other high-speed vessels when it “flies”, according to the company.
Last year, the startup raised $40m to target the growing global market for electric waterborne transport.
Candela’s 30-passenger vessels are already being used in a pilot project for public transport in Stockholm, and last year the startup signed an order for eight vessels to supply Saudi Arabia’s Neom project. It has also signed contracts to serve commuters in Berlin, New Zealand and the US.
The newly announced deal represents the largest single electric fleet deal in the world and will help establish Mumbai as a leader in sustainable urban water transport, according to Candela.
The so-called P-12 vessels, which each carry 30 passengers, will serve two of the city’s most heavily trafficked routes: between the Gateway of India and Alibaug — a journey that typically takes two to three hours by car — and from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island.
“With the P-12, we can show that electric ferries are not only better for the environment — they can add a vital new layer of mobility to Mumbai,” Hasselskog says.
Read the orginal article: https://sifted.eu/articles/electric-ferry-startup-candela-deal-mumbai/
