Safran Electrical & Power has secured European certification for its ENGINeUS 100 electric motor, in a claimed world first.
Approval for the 125kW unit from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) was obtained following a campaign involving more than 1,500h of testing and 100 flight hours.
Safran says the certification, the first under the agency’s Special Condition (SC) E-19, is the result of “four years of collaboration with EASA to define the specific airworthiness rules for electric propulsion and design the right methods to properly assess and certify it.”
Production of the electric motors will take place from 2026 on four semi-automated assembly lines being established in Niort in western France and Pitstone in southern England. They will have a combined output of up to 1,000 units per year, with the capacity to increase that further.
Innovations embodied in the ENGIeUS 100 include power electronics – providing the functions of inverters and control system – that are integrated directly into the motor.
It is also air cooled for weight and simplicity. “The heatsinks and fins are open to external airflow provided by propeller rotation and airspeed dynamic pressure,” EASA’s type certification documents state.
Safran says the motor boasts an “unrivalled” 5kW/kg power-to-weight ratio. EASA lists the unit’s weight at 51.6kg (113lb).
Take-off power is listed as 125kW, while maximum continuous power is 114kW, at up to 2,300rpm. EASA stipulates an operating ceiling of 15,000ft.
Customers for the ENGINeUS include Aura Aero, Bye Aerospace, Diamond Aircraft, Electra and VoltAero.
“We have just witnessed a key moment in the history of aviation. By obtaining certification for the ENGINeUS 100 electric motor, Safran Electrical & Power has achieved a world first,” says Bruno Bellanger, chief executive of Safran Electrical & Power.
“This was a fascinating project for EASA, and the first test of our Special Condition designed for the certification of hybrid- and all-electric propulsion,” adds Rachel Daeschler, EASA certification director.
Safran is planning a family of electric motors spanning the power range from 50kW to 1MW. The initial certification covers the B1 model which is suitable for installation in two-seaters but output will be increased to allow applications in up to 19-seat aircraft.
Certification under SC E-19 required the agency and manufacturer to reconsider the testing regime to account for the different safety risks of electric propulsion.
“As one example, the minimisation of fire risk had to be rethought in its entirety,” says Regis Rossotto, EASA project manager.
“In contrast to combustion engine for which the risk of fire arises from the ignition of flammable fluids, in an electric engine, that risk comes from the use of high voltage and electrical arcing. A worst-case scenario was defined and tested, and mitigations were put in place to allow a pilot to land safely if such a scenario arose.”
This article has been updated with additional information from EASA.
