Candela expands business in France

Candela has entered the French market with an exclusive partnership with leading boat reseller Sud Plaisance. The builder has also opened a test drive centre in Cannes.

The foiling Candela C-8, an electric day cruiser, has sold more than 100 units in the US and Europe. The Candela C-8 will make its French debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival 2022 this September – with the aim to ‘change boating for the better on the Côte d’Azur’.

The Candela C-8 recently completed its maiden sea trial. Swedish marine tech company Candela has embarked on a recent series of expansions and partnerships, including entering the Benelux market through a partnership with electric boat reseller The Green Wave.

“We’re building an electric boat that doesn’t compete with ICE powerboats; it is vastly better. I believe that’s what’s needed to speed up the transition to sustainable boating,” says Candela’s CEO and founder Gustav Hasselskog.

Candela C8 - on water

“Candela is the boat I have been hoping to get for our customers for years: fast, elegant, and with the electric range necessary for our waters. Sud Plaisance is committed to delivering the most exquisite experience in harmony with our environment. The C-8 is now available for orders and we’re looking forward to displaying it at the Cannes Boat Show,” says Bruno Delahaye, founder and CEO of Sud Plaisance.

The C-8 uses computer-guided hydrofoils to ‘fly’ above the water’s surface. Candela claims the foils make the C-8 about 400 per cent more efficient than conventional motorboats thanks to vastly reduced friction. The company says at 20 knots, the C-8 uses only about 25hp of power, which enables its lithium-ion battery to last for over two hours of cruising, or about 50 nautical miles of range – more than two times the endurance of any other electric speedboat on the market.

Candela is betting big on the French market, where C-8’s will be displayed at Candela/Sud Plaisance showrooms in Cannes from autumn 2022. Sales contacts can be organised in Mandelieu la Napoule and as well as in the Golf Juan Marina.