LE BOURGET—This year, more startups are presenting their plans to develop electric regional aircraft at the Paris Air Show, despite the energy storage limitations of batteries.
Maeve Aerospace debuted its 44-seat, all-electric Maeve-01, and Wichita-based The AirCraft Company joined the fray with its 30-seat hybrid-electric SJ30Y Pangea. French startup Aura Aero announced additional customers here for its planned 19-seat hybrid-electric ERA.
They are one of a growing number of new electric regional aircraft startups. Others include the four-passenger Electron 5 from UK/Dutch Electron Aircraft, the nine-passenger Microliner from Vaeridion in Germany, and the hybrid-electric ES-30 from Heart Aerospace in Sweden.
At the show, Toulouse-based Aura Aero and a Philippine regional airline signed a memorandum of understanding for three ERAs that can carry 19 passengers or 1,900 kg (4,200 lb.) of cargo up to 1,600 kilometers Elit’Avia, a private aviation provider based in Malta, increased the number of aircraft in its existing letter of intent to 28.
After completing the Maeve-01’s conceptual design, the Dutch startup has chosen Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio to create a digital replica of the aircraft for the following phase of the program, where the company plans to construct a full-scale powertrain demonstrator, complete with electric motor and battery pack.
According to co-founder Joost Dieben, the startup intends to operate the full-scale powertrain by mid-2024, aiming for service entry by 2030. Maeve was selected in December to receive a potential €17.5 million ($19.1 million) from the European Innovation Council. At this point, she is working to raise the necessary funds to match that amount.
Using batteries with an energy density of 500 Wh/kg, the startup expects the Maeve-01 to have a range of 460 km, compared to only 300 Wh/kg for lithium-ion batteries today. Amprius, a manufacturer of silicon-anode batteries, has revealed that it is developing a 500 Wh/kg cell. The business collaborates with Amprius.
The AirCraft Company, based in Wichita, plans to put its SY30J Pangea into service in 2029. With a pack-level energy density of 350 Wh/kg, the startup hopes to achieve an all-electric range of 400 km. A reach extender will expand this to 800 km, President Mario Asselin says.
According to co-CEO Sylvie St-Georges, the SY30J has seats that are 20 inches wide, making it one of a kind because it was designed with passengers in the United States in mind. The lodge is likewise intended to ease access for travelers with diminished portability, with a first seat column, more extensive walkway and a restroom that can oblige a wheelchair.
Asselin, a Wichita-based aviation services company, is the parent company of The AirCraft Company. According to Asselin, the company has completed conceptual design, self-funded work on the Pangea, and is beginning supplier selection. Both he and St-Georges are previous Bombardier engineers.
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