Electric Aircraft

NEBOair, a UK-based electric transport company, announced this week that Pipistrel’s Velis Electro has received UK CAA certification. The company plans to use the all-electric, two-seat airplane primarily for sightseeing flights and flight training, but also for its “micro airline” operations, transporting one customer at a time between London and the British Midlands. NEBOair representative […]

With many concept aircraft failing to make it past the prototype stage, Bye Aerospace has made it to the next milestone with its electric aircraft program. The company started production on the first conforming eFlyer, Bye announced on January 26. Composites Universal Group, of Warren, Oregon, was selected to begin tooling and construction. “We continue to make advances in […]

California-based Archer, creating the world’s first all-electric airline, plans to collaborate with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to access the automobile giant’s low-cost supply chain, advanced composite material capabilities, and engineering and design experience. Archer will manufacture high-volume, composite, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with the intent of starting production in 2023. FCA, the parent company […]

The popularity as well as the utility of Cessna’s Caravans—operating on both land and sea—is well known, with nearly 3,000 having been produced since the model series was introduced nearly 40 years ago. It makes sense, then, that a number of companies chose the Caravan as the platform around which to create a supplemental type […]

The zero-emissions solution proposed and under development by startup company ZeroAvia has attracted the attention of a cadre of interesting players that have now signed on to deliver a substantial round of funding to the program. New investment from the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Breakthrough Energy Ventures (established by Bill Gates in 2015), Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Horizons Ventures, Shell Ventures, and Summa […]

Daher, Safran, and Airbus announced on December 10 they had completed the preliminary design review phase for the consortium’s EcoPulse Demonstrator, which uses a distributed hybrid-electric propulsion system. The review “freezes” the aircraft’s configuration, and it positions the demonstrator for its next steps, which include mounting Safran motors in preparation for the first flight. The […]

Ampaire last month flew its Electric EEL aircraft on a 20-minute flight from Maui’s Kahului Airport across the island to Hana and back on a single battery charge. The company is now flying the route regularly in a one-month demonstration program with Hawai’i-based Mokulele Airlines, one of 15 airlines that signed a Letter of Interest […]

Flying taxi startup, Germany-based Lilium, says it will build its first US transportation hub—a new 56,000 sq ft vertiport—at the Lake Nona community in Orlando, Florida. Lilium wants to create a network of electrically-powered air taxis capable of short, high-speed flights, something the company expects will become a reality within the next 10 years. When […]

Englewood, Colorado-based Bye Aerospace said last week in a news release that it entered an agreement with Seoul, Korea-based Aerospace9 for the Asian company to make not only a significant stock investment in Bye, but to also submit a substantial 300-aircraft order for Bye Aerospace aircraft. Aerospace9′s purchase agreement includes 150 eFlyer 2s, 148 eFlyer […]

Kahului, Hawaii based Mokulele Airlines has joined with California-based Ampaire to begin testing the second prototype Cessna 337 “Electric EEL” hybrid-electric aircraft conversion. Ampaire successfully flew the second demonstrator on September 10. The new prototype builds on previous aircraft that the company has test flown in other markets. Ampaire calls the new flight test aircraft […]