LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Local company FlyTahoe is pairing with Swedish tech company Candela to bring the first electric flying ferry to the shores of Lake Tahoe. CEO and founder of FlyTahoe Ryan Meinzer anticipates the unique vessel to start business at the end of 2025, but has high hopes for the impacts the Candela P-12 will bring to the Basin.

Meinzer, a self-proclaimed snowboard fanatic and entrepreneur, said, “Tahoe is my favorite place on the planet.” And for the past 15 years, he says he’s seen issues in transit and traffic throughout the Tahoe basin that impact not only commutes, but the clarity of the lake. “I’ve been thinking about solving this problem for a long time.”

Now, he feels the cutting-edge technology that Candela creates makes that solution a reality. “The hydrofoil technology lowers operational expenses and makes this a profitable enterprise. It’s a rare opportunity to be able to combine purpose and profit like this,” said Meinzer.

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The Candela P-12 is a zero-emission vessel with hydrofoils, wing-like structures that actually lift the hull out of the water to decrease drag. That cuts energy consumption by 80% and makes the hull-less susceptible to the effects of the winds and waves, according to Candela’s press release. The same kind of vessel was just launched at the end of October in Stockholm.

While hydrofoils aren’t a completely new technology, powering such a vessel through electricity is—it only takes 45 minutes to fully charge the battery, making it more efficient with less of an environmental impact. Additionally, the battery is noiseless, causing less noise pollution, and with less waves caused by the hull dragging in the water, there’s reduced shoreline erosion.

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The P-12’s cruising speed of 25 knots, approximately 30 mph, is the fastest of any electric vessel and would bring the commute time from the North Shore to the South Shore to 30 minutes—crucial for reducing traffic in the area, as reportedly 20,000 trips are made between the shores daily. The vessel can carry 30 passengers and 1 crew member—critically, to Meinzer, the vessel is also accessible for wheelchair users and would have room for bikes, snowboards, or skis onboard.

But that doesn’t mean it’s just a ski shuttle, though Candela projects that it would make commute to the 14 different ski resorts in the area much quicker. “It’s a core tenet of my business model to improve the lives of locals and tourists alike,” said Meinzer.

Over the past six months, Meinzer has been travelling around the basin to find partners where FlyTahoe’s vessel would dock. Though the stops aren’t finalized, Meinzer hopes it will open up opportunities for local businesses, not just the resorts. He also plans to have a fleet that would improve cross-shore businesses, though the first stops will be between the North and South Shores.

There’s still much work to be done though. Besides setting a route, FlyTahoe must also get the necessary permits to operate on the lake and set up the infrastructure for electric chargers. And due to a section of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 called the Jones Act, all transport between U.S. ports must be done on U.S.-built ships, meaning Candela must find a manufacturer in the United States to bring the P-12 to America.

“I want to recognize and remain humble that there are a lot of challenges ahead for local regulations and things to pay attention to,” said Meinzer. While there are many logistical challenges such as parking for the ferries, lining up with locally preferred vendors for infrastructure, considering regulations especially in an eco-conscious area like Tahoe, he says he enjoys coming up with solutions for it.

And Meinzer has high hopes for starting services by the end of next year, if not the beginning of 2026. “Electric is the future of boating… and I feel so blessed to be able to lead with such a purpose and that a lot of people are stoked to get behind me on this.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.