Candela C-POD - a revolution today

Candela, a Swedish electric boat manufacturer based in Stockholm, has unveiled what can be described as “the most efficient boat motor ever,” the Candela C-POD electric drive.

Where and why?

Candela C-POD will be installed on the pleasure boats of the future. Especially the branded hydrofoil boats. By the way, this will be an innovative type of water transport. Wings and electricity - there have been attempts before, but this one is unique.

The uniqueness lies in the design. By the way, outboard motors that transmit thrust to the propeller through a complex set of shafts and bearings use gears. Candela C-POD gets rid of gears completely.

Design feature

The patented C-Pod consists of two electric motors. Each one drives a counter-rotating propeller to provide a total power of 50 kW (67 hp). 

Two ultra-compact yet powerful electric motors are mounted underwater in a torpedo-like socket. They directly drive the propellers. 

Incidentally, each engine is directly connected to the propeller, which minimizes frictional losses. Counter-rotating propellers provide high propeller efficiency.

“The engineering challenge was to make the electric motors compact enough,” says Gustav Hasselskog, founder and CEO of Candela. "When underwater, they need to be very small in diameter to cause minimal resistance."

Problem solved by C-POD

By placing the motors underwater, Candela also solved a problem that all electric motors face: heat. Candela C-POD engineers designed a compact drive with direct and efficient seawater cooling, resulting in higher operating temperatures and more power from the motors.

“The first hurdle in building a very small but powerful engine is heat,” says Hasselskog. “You can take any engine and give it three times more electricity than it was designed for. And it will work. But only a few seconds. 

The Candela C-POD provides virtually unlimited cooling capacity - we just need to transfer heat from the engine to the surrounding water flow. "

Peace and quiet is about C-POD

Another advantage is silence. The Candela C-POD has no gears and therefore runs completely quiet even at 30 knots. In addition, the Candela C-POD has very few moving parts. Despite this, this engine will run for several thousand hours without any maintenance.

Building a more efficient engine directly translates into a huge increase in range.

A little more about construction

The C-Pod was created with the goal of “providing an almost unlimited life” when thanks to its long maintenance intervals. By the way, this interval is 3000 hours.

On top of that, add no need for oil changes or other major repairs. However, the motors are cooled directly in the water. For the average hobbyist, this translates into years of maintenance-free use.

The specifications for the C-Pod are as follows:

Power 50 kW

Weight 26 kg

Propellers: Propellers that rotate in different directions.

Propeller efficiency 80%

Maintenance-free life 3000+ hours

01.09.2021