A Swedish electric boatmaker brought one of its whizzy, hydrofoiling vessels to the Potomac River last week to pitch the new technology to Washington-area powerbrokers.
Candela was looking to persuade policymakers, tour companies and transit officials on the speed and efficiency of a $1.9 million ferry it’s begun piloting in Stockholm, Sweden, and has agreed to sell to customers in Saudi Arabia, India and Thailand.
But there were a few problems. For starters, the company only had one of its speedboats on hand, not the ferry — only two of which are currently in existence.
Candela is also seeking to break into the Washington market at a time of growing protectionism and waning support for clean technologies, with a president in power who is wary of many 21st-century energy innovations.
