French aircraft developer VoltAero has struck deals at Farnborough air show to advance its plans for a series of hybrid-electric – and eventually hyrdogen-electric – regional aircraft.
Though details are scarce, VoltAero has strengthened its partnership with Kawasaki Motors and secured a new deal with Sigma Air Mobility to boost development of its advanced propulsion systems and expand its market potential, respecitvely.
Chief executive Jean Botti says Kawasaki Motors has invested an undisclosed amount into VoltAero – describing the Japanese manufacturer as a “stakeholder and partner” – as Kawasaki revealed that it plans to break into the aerospace engine market for the first time.
Kawasaki chief executive Hiroshi Ito says the company is developing piston engines for regional air mobility applications, including a gas-fuelled unit that the company expects to certificate in 2030 and a variant fuelled by liquid hydrogen slated for certification in 2035.
Botti says that Kawaski’s proposed hydrogen-fuelled engines will challenge gas turbine engines “for all general aviation”.
“When you get to 1MW, there is no chance for a turbine to be competitive in terms of cost and in terms of consumption,” he says. “We will be able to demonstrate to the world that there is another way to fly – more economical, more efficient.”
VoltAero intends to fly a hybrid-hydrogen demonstrator aircraft next year “just to show the people that, yes, we can do an electric-hydrogen aircraft”, Botti says.
VoltAero has already begun a certification process for the Cassio 330’s powertrain, which will integrate a Safran Electrical & Power ENGINeUS 100 electric motor with Kawasak Motor’s four-cylinder thermal engine.
Botti says VoltAero has applied to patent the system in 62 countries, including two patents in the USA for helicopter and fixed-wing applications.
The company intends for the Cassio 330 to clear certification in late 2025 and to begin producing the aircraft the following year. Botti anticipates an initial production run of 12-15 aircraft and an “intense” ramp-up later this decade.
On parallel tracks, VoltAero is pursuing follow-on variants with six and 12 seats. The six-passenger aircraft will be pressurised and feature a retractable landing gear.
Botti acknowledges that there is a “big controversy” about the environmental impact of business aviation, asserting that VoltAero’s eventual 12-seat variant will “start replacing a lot of the business jets that exist today”.
VoltAero also announced on 24 July a partnership with Sigma Air Mobility, a company under UK-based Luxaviation Group’s umbrella.
Christophe Lapierre, Sigma’s chief executive, said his company is interested in the Cassio 330’s anticipated efficiency, small acoustic footprint and multiple potential use cases, including air taxi and air ambulance missions.
“Having in mind the flexibility of use of the aircraft… with the right performance and the reduction of emissions, that’s really important,” he says. “I think that’s a very strong way for us to enter this regional market where we see a very big opportunity.”
Lapierre declined to discuss how many Cassio 330 aircraft Sigma intends to operate or provide further details of the agreement.
Beyond Kawasaki, Botti told reporters that VoltAero is in late-stage talks with more investors to ensure that the start-up has the capital necessary to push the Cassio 330 over remaining development and certification hurdles.
VoltAero disclosed earlier this week that it had secured a memorandum of understanding with aircraft trading services company Global Sky for 15 Cassio 330 aircraft – a tentative deal with the potential to expand Volt’s market to Southeast Asia, the companies say.
