A French hybrid electric propulsion company will release a 260 kW (350 horsepower) version of its unit for use in homebuilt/experimental and light sport aircraft next year. VoltAero intends to eventually put the HPU210 power unit in a certified aircraft called the Cassio in coming years, but said it’s making it available for the amateur-built market after a year of flight testing on a modified Cessna 337 called the Cassio S. “We’ve validated our hybrid propulsion architecture on our in-house Cassio S flying testbed, which has logged more than 185 flight hours and flown approximately 25,000 kilometers in a full range of operating conditions.”
The HPU 210 uses the four-cylinder supercharged engine used in Kawasaki’s most powerful super bike. The Ninja H2 SX 998 cc puts out 207 horsepower while screaming at 10,000 rpm. It provides about 70% of the power for the aircraft and the 60 kW electric motor kicks in when more power is needed. The motorcycle engine will have a 1,500 TBO in certified aircraft. The company is expecting a 10-gallon-per-hour cruise burning just about any kind of gasoline including E85 ethanol blend. The power unit will be supplied firewall-forward and hopes to have the first installations in 2026.
I really, really, really question the safety of having large gasoline tanks as well as large batteries in the event of even a minor crash.
It depends on the battery chemistry. If it is lithium iron phosphate then it’s not going to be significantly more dangerous than the combination of avgas and battery you have in your airplane. If the chemistry involves cobalt or manganese, do not walk, run away from it as fast as you can. I don’t think they’re safe enough for the automotive applications they are commonly used in, let alone in an aircraft.
Oh, I was thinking of all the high voltage wires and high voltage devices.
This is no longer a little 12V battery that’s on one side of a firewall.
And then the event of crashing into the water, will the sharks get you before the high voltage? Asking for an orange friend.
Don’t worry, your friend knows that magnetism stops working when wet. Since Magnetism and Electricity are all part of the same fundamental force, electricity won’t work either.
According to gospel, any battery of that size being tossed in water will simply short out. No danger.
Hybrids have been used for decades. Ask Toyota how to do it, in case we can’t find the expertise or skill to do it.