Electric Aircraft

Rolls-Royce announced on Thursday that it has completed ground testing on the propulsion technology for a demonstrator aircraft designed to be the “world’s fastest all-electric plane.” Testing was conducted on the company’s “ionBird” test airframe, which is a full-scale replica of the aircraft’s core. The project is part of the Rolls-Royce’s “Accelerating the Electrification of […]

California-based electric aviation company Ampaire flew its second hybrid-electric technology demonstrator for the first time last week. Ampaire’s “Electric EEL” is a converted Cessna 337 Skymaster powered by tail-mounted 310-horsepower Continental IO-550 and a 200kW—limited to 120 kW—electric motor in the nose. In partnership with Mokulele Airlines and climate change solutions company Elemental Excelerator, Ampaire […]

Texas Aircraft Manufacturing has announced that it is developing a fully electric aircraft based on its Colt S-LSA design. Development of the eColt is being conducted in partnership with lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery technology company OXIS Energy. The aircraft’s key airframe and power components will be manufactured in Brazil with design and development taking place at […]

The Electric Aviation Group (EAG) has announced a proposal for a 70-seat hybrid-electric airliner, in what amounts to “going big” in next-gen regional airliners. According to the company, “Whilst a number of small electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, up to 19 seats,  have been proposed, their limited range and small capacity will make it difficult for […]

Electric aircraft developer Bye Aerospace announced on Monday that it has completed a $5 million strategic investment by an unnamed venture capital group and a $5 million venture raise. According to the company, the investments, which were finalized earlier this year, allowed Bye to begin work on the first production-conforming prototype of its all-electric eFlyer […]

This story originally appeared in KITPLANES. By Tom Wilson Early days are always interesting, and these are certainly early days in electric flight. But as the world awaits a truly energy-dense method of storing and releasing electrons, a few pioneers are paying their dues with crafty experimental airplanes. They’re not only improving the breed, but […]

Pipistrel’s Velis Electro became the first-ever fully electric aircraft to receive its type certification on Wednesday. According to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which granted the certificate, the certification process for the aircraft was completed in less than three years. The Pipistrel E-811 engine used on the aircraft became the first EASA-certified electric […]

AeroTEC and magniX successfully conducted the first flight of their eCaravan all-electric Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on Thursday. The 30-minute flight took place at the AeroTEC Flight Test Center, which is located at Grant County International Airport (MWH) in Moses Lake, Washington. According to magniX, the eCaravan is currently the world’s largest all-electric commercial aircraft. […]

France-based VoltAero announced on Tuesday that it has begun flight testing its hybrid-electric Cassio aircraft family from its headquarters at the Royan-Médis Aérodrome. Testing is currently being conducted with VoltAero’s Cassio 1 testbed aircraft, which is powered by two wing-mounted Safran ENGINeUS 45 electric motors, each driving a forward-facing propeller. The Cassio family includes models […]

Common Sense vs. E-Everything Austin Meyer here from Laminar Research. I wrote the flight simulator X-Plane and I am currently using it to evaluate a number of eVTOL aircraft, including several that I am consulting or otherwise working on. Jason Baker recently wrote a blog here titled “Common Sense vs. E-Everything” In this blog, Jason […]