ZeroAvia 600-kW Powerplant To Go To Jetcruzer Testbed

Aircraft propulsion-system innovator ZeroAvia announced today (Feb. 18) it has agreed to a deal to sell examples of its 600-kW electric propulsion system (EPS) to Jetcruzer International. No financial terms were cited in the announcement.

Jetcruzer will use the EPS for electric flight testing on the developmental six-place hydrogen-electric Jetcruzer 500E, a repurposed version of the Jetcruzer 500 project from the 1990s. Jetcruzer International acquired the project’s intellectual property in 2017 and has since “been dedicated to advancing a new era of sustainable aviation.” The company targets a 2028 entry into service for the 500E model, with the larger 1250E variant scheduled to debut on the market in 2030.

ZeroAvia expects to deliver the first EPS to Jetcruzer in the spring. The powerplant developer claims to have secured orders for more than 2,000 of its products. The 600-kW EPS destined for the Jetcruzer prototype consists of ZeroAvia’s proprietary inverter and electric motor technology. It incorporates four of ZeroAvia’s 200-kW continuous power bidirectional inverters converting DC power to AC to a drive motor capable of 2,200 rpm, according to the company. The ZeroAvia announcement came from its new 136,000-square-foot “Propulsion Center of Excellence” in Everett, Washington.

 Sergey Kiselev, chief business officer at ZeroAvia, said it is exciting to support the Jetcruzer project, adding, “Our commitment to deep vertical integration in development of our full powertrain technology is paying off as we have amassed a range of [intellectual property] and a portfolio of valuable fuel cell and electric propulsion components that have a strong market in their own right.”

Victor Tao, Jetcruzer International CEO, said of ZeroAvia, “Their cutting-edge electric propulsion solutions align perfectly with our vision, and we look forward to working closely with them throughout this process.”