MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) is to collaborate on the development of Maeve Aerospace’s M80 – a hybrid-electric 80-seater that could enter service by 2032.
Part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, MHIRJ – which owns the former Bombardier CRJ regional jet line – will provide engineering and advisory services to the M80 programme.
MHIRJ’s participation will “accelerate the design, industrialisation and commercialisation of the M80”, it states.
“We’re teaming up with the best in regional aviation to bring an aircraft to market that meets the unique needs of regional networks around the world,” says Martin Nuesseler, Maeve’s chief technology officer.
“The Maeve M80 represents truly game-changing technology for the regional market of the future,” says Ross Mitchell, senior vice-president, strategy, business development and communications at MHIRJ.
Maeve claims the M80 will be have a range of 1,200nm (2,220km), 40% lower fuel consumption and emissions than a conventional regional jet.
In July, the Dutch start-up announced it was collaborating with Pratt & Whitney Canada on the design of the M80’s hybrid-electric propulsion system.
The M80 is an evolution of previous all-electric concepts proposed by Maeve called the Echelon 01 and Maeve 01. These could carry fewer people and featured a battery-powered distributed propulsion system.
MHIRJ has also worked with ZeroAvia to perform technical studies on the potential retrofit of CRJ-series aircraft with the developer’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrain.
