A Better Way to Fund Electric Aircraft R&D

There are individuals and smaller companies making some strides that could help a company get in the game for less.

Jason Depew

Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 12:16 PM ET

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A former employee at Zero Motorcycles did some interesting tweaking to a Sonex Xenos. [Courtesy: Sonex]

Key Takeaways:

Textron's $242 million acquisition of Pipistrel and its limited-range Velis Electro suggests a costly and slow path for certified electric aircraft development.
In contrast, engineer Gabe DeVault built a more capable experimental electric aircraft (eXenos) for under $100,000 using off-the-shelf components, demonstrating a significantly more affordable and rapid development model.
DeVault's success highlights the potential for smaller General Aviation manufacturers to electrify aircraft by leveraging experimental aviation rules and existing electric powertrain technology, encouraging competition and innovation.

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Last week, we saw Textron spend $242 million to purchase Pipistrel, skipping up to 11 years of R&D, acquiring some significant engineering talent, and obtaining a marketable electric aircraft, the Velis Electro, capable of approximately 24 minutes of flight time (plus FAA-required VFR reserves), based on initial testing conducted in the U.S. at Florida Tech.

Based entirely on this news, the outlook for electric aircraft seems a little dim. It would appear to me that getting to a serious 4-place electric cross-country airplane will take hundreds of millions of dollars in further investment, and potentially decades of development. Most GA aircraft manufacturers simply cannot afford that expense.