VoltAero unveils new hybrid-electric aircraft

VoltAero (Médis, France) revealed on May 6 the production configuration for its Cassio aircraft. The company claims the plane will revolutionize general aviation with a highly efficient, safe and optimized family of airplanes powered by the company’s hybrid-electric power module.

Cassio is based on an aerodynamically optimized fuselage, a forward-fixed canard and an aft-set wing with twin booms that support a high-set horizontal tail. Cassio also uses VoltAero’s hybrid-electric power module in an aft fuselage “pusher” configuration, integrating a cluster of electric motors with a high-performance internal combustion engine that serves as the range extender. The powertrain is currently being validated on VoltAero’s Cassio 1 flight test aircraft.

“The Cassio production design’s unveiling represents the latest step in our realistic and highly pragmatic creation of an all-new aircraft family,” says Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and CTO. “It benefits from our team’s unmatched experience in hybrid-electric aviation, as well as the ongoing full-scale flight testing that removes the risk as we move toward the production phase.”  

With a performance range of 800 miles, cruise speed of 200 knots, and available for approximately eight rotations daily, the Cassio family is designed for a variety of applications, including private use, air taxi/charter services, in-commercial flights for point-to-point regional travel and other applications. The aircraft will also be certified under the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS23 specification as a single-engine, general aviation category aircraft.

VoltAero will offer three versions of the aircraft, each sharing a high degree of modularity and commonality:

• Cassio 330, a four-seat configuration with propulsion from a combined hybrid-electric power of 330 kilowatts;
• Cassio 480, configured with six seats and a hybrid-electric propulsion power of 480 kilowatts;
• Cassio 600, with a 10-seat capacity and hybrid-electric propulsion power of 600 kilowatts.

Cassio aircraft will be produced at a purpose-built final assembly line in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of southwest France. Licensed production opportunities will be pursued in North America and Asia, and initial deliveries are targeted for the end of 2022, beginning with the Cassio 330.