Mumbai, the most populous city in India, plans to begin a mammoth move to sea-based transit using Candela electric hydrofoil ferries.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region has a population of over 23 million, making it the seventh-most populous metropolitan region in the world. It also has the most billionaires of any city in Asia, along with some of the worst traffic and road congestion.

Mumbai is a city composed of islands—seven, to be exact. By turning to the sea, Mumbai is poised to move commuters via high-speed arteries dedicated to clean, efficient and electrified water transport.

Following an official visit to Stockholm by India’s Minister of Commerce, Piyush Goyal, to experience the Candela P-12 electric hydrofoil boat, Candela CEO Gustav Hasselskog and Niraj Thakur, the CEO of Mumbai-based operator JalVimana, announced that the latter has ordered and will operate a fleet of 11 P-12 vessels. It plans to expand the fleet as the company’s experience with the electric hydrofoil boats grows.

“We believe Candela’s next-generation P-12 will be a giant leap for Mumbai and towards our national goals of a sustainable future for our vast Indian coastline and inland waterways,” said Thakur, adding that “JalVimana is honored to bring this Swedish gift to our ancient shores.”

The order for 11 P-12s is the largest order yet placed for vessels of this type, Candela said.

The first P-12 vessels to arrive in Mumbai will serve two of the city’s most heavily traveled routes, linking the Gateway of India with Alibaug and the Gateway of Elephanta Island. The first route can take from two to three hours by automobile, while JalVimana expects the travel time by water to take less than half that. Another planned route will link the city’s new airport with central Mumbai, reducing the travel time from 90 minutes to less than 30 minutes.

Candela has now received multiple orders from major municipalities and operators for its P-12 electric ferry. The P-12 went into service in Stockholm in November 2024, picking up passengers in Ekerö, an island of almost 12,000 inhabitants outside Stockholm, and reaching Stockholm’s City Hall, a 9-mile (15 km) jaunt, in just 30 minutes. That is 15 minutes faster than its diesel-powered counterpart, while using 80% less energy to power the trip.

A fleet of eight P-12 ferries is on order by Saudi Arabia to make trips to Neom, the massive (and controversial) development that Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the crown prince and authoritarian leader of Saudi Arabia, is creating there.

The P-12 will be coming to Lake Tahoe to speed up north-south trips across the lake on the California-Nevada border.

The vessel is also being deployed in Berlin to bring the travel time from the Eastside Gallery to Funkhaus down from as much as 26 minutes in traffic to 10 minutes by traveling along the Spree River.

In November 2024, Candela said it had raised an additional $14 million in its Series C investment round, putting the company’s total secured funding in 2024 at over $40 million. The investment will help Candela ramp up production to meet demand for its vessels. The new $14-million investment round was led by SEB Private Equity, a global private equity investor, and included participation by existing investors EQT Ventures and KanDela.

Source: Candela