e-flight-journal

On 29 December 2024 CAAC, the Chinese regulator, issued the type certification under Part 23 normal category to RX4E electric airplane, making it the world’s first Part 23 certified electric aircraft and the world’s first type certified four-seat electric aircraft.

RX4E is developed by Liaoning Ruixiang General Aircraft Co.Ltd in Shenyang city, China. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1260kg, 1.5hr duration, 300km range, 70kwh battery (about the capacity of a Tesla) and 140kw electric motor. The prototype first flew in October 2019 and applied for CAAC Part 23 certification in November 2019.

RX4E is evolved from RX1E, a two-seat light sport airplane (LSA). When RX1E was certified under LSA category by CAAC in 2015, it became the world’s first certified electric airplane.

Besides RX4E, there are several other Part 23 full electric airplane projects undergoing certification or to begin the certification including the two-seat Bristell Energic developed by H55 in Switzerland and Bristell airplane in Czech Republic, the two-seat Electric Flyer in developed by Bye Aerospace in the US, the 11-seat twin-motor Alice developed by Eviation in the US , the twin-motor NOEMI electric amphibian developed by Elfly in Norway, the 11-seat Vaerdion in Germany and the two-seat Integral E aerobatic electric airplane developed by Auro Aero in France. There are also several Part 23 hybrid electric airplane projects undergoing certification including 30-seat twin-motor ES30 developed by Heart Aerospace and the three-motor Cassio 330 developed by VoltAero in France.

The German eVTOL start-up Volocopter GmbH filed for insolvency proceedings on 26 December citing its inability to raise new funds to maintain regular operations.

The company plans to continue business operations during the insolvency proceedings while seeking additional funding. The 500 employees‘ jobs are at stake.

Founded in 2011, Volocopter is one of the first eVTOL program in the world and set the world record as the first manned eVTOL leaving ground in 2010 with the first demonstrator. VoloCity, the two-seat multirotor eVTOL of Volocopter, is currently undergoing EASA certification.

Over the years Volocopter has received investment from many high-profile companies from various domains including Mercedes, Intel, Honeywell, Geely, Neom and so on. It is reported that Geely, the current major shareholder of Volocopter, has been in discussion with Volocopter for acquisition.

As the policy-driven “low-altitude economy” (LAE) in China, which could be interpreted as the Chinese version of the advanced air mobility (AAM) for easy understanding, is gaining popularity, it is no surprise that there was a hall dedicated to LAE at the 2024 Zhuhai Airshow, and the hall as well as the ramp display area were full of eVTOL models, electric airplanes and large size cargo drones. Here are some of the showcases. Come back often for more follow-up details about the aircraft shown here and more.

A large STOL cargo drone with hybrid-powered distributed electric propulsion for extreme STOL performance and ton-level useful load

The modular flying car of HTAero of Xpeng Auto made the manned demo flight at the show.

the obsession with the Pop.Up conceptual modular flying car design initiated by Airbus and Audi is as obvious as shown at Zhuhai Airshow

large fixed wing cargo drone is gaining popularity in China…

…even the gyroplane is joining the cargo drone hype.

fortunately there’s still „classic“ electric airplane for pilots

eVTOL dominates the hall.

there seems to be just not to have enough eVTOL in full-size or sub-scale models to show the developer’s ambition.

then there are more traditional VTOL designs with conventional turbine power or hybrid electric power.

Rolls-Royce Electrical sent out the message to relevant parties and project partners last week that it is terminating advanced air mobility (AAM) operation in short run. This news came after the announcement last November that the company was seeking potential buyers so obviously the sale attempt did not succeed.

Rolls-Royce originally set up Rolls-Royce Electrical in 2018 as part of an internal innovation hub dedicated to electric propulsion. The company took over the eAviation business of Siemens in 2019 and has been a leading force in electric aviation since then. In 2022 Rolls-Royce Electrical was spun out as an individual business.

Over the years Rolls-Royce Electrical has set many world records and industry milestones such as the all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft testbed clocked up a maximum top speed of 623km/h in 2021 making it the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle, the H3PS hybrid electric airplane prototype based on a Tecnam P2010 in 2021.

The company’s main products include several transverse flux, air-cooled electric propulsion units covering the 150-200kW range for urban air mobility vehicles and a larger 300-400kW motor for regional platforms and a turbogenerator.

For more information:

https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/electrical.aspx

Originally Volocopter wanted to fly passengers during the Olympics in Paris with its new roomy VoloCity from a Vertiport at the airfield Pontoise to a platform in the Seine river in Paris. But as the certification with EASA of the VoloCity is still not finished and also there was some political issues in the Paris City Government. So in the end they did flew with a repainted old Volocopter V2x with the German ultralight registration from a Vertiport at Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École. Dirk Hoke from Volocopter and Edward Arkwright from the ADP group who ownes the Paris airports still celebrates this flight as „ValidationeVTOL Operations in Paris.

Please see more info here and a Video here

On August 3, CATL, the largerst battery manufacturer in the world, signed a strategic investment and cooperation agreement with Autoflight in which CATL exclusively invested hundreds of millions of dollars to become a strategic investor of Autoflight. Mr. Tian Yu, CATL and the existing investor of Autoflight Team Global will work together to support the development of Autoflight.

Zeng Yuqun, Chairman and CEO of CATL, and Tian Yu, Chairman and CEO of Autoflight, attended and witnessed the signing.

CATL’s exclusive strategic investment in Autoflight reflects a high recognition of Autoflight’s core competitiveness and long-term development potential in the field of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL). CATL has the world’s leading battery technology and innovation capabilities, and occupies a leading position among the world’s new energy battery suppliers, and its deep R&D strength, strong industrial foundation and strong industrial chain cluster advantages will help Autoflight to make greater breakthroughs in the field of eVTOL. The two parties will combine their respective resources and technological advantages to focus on improving the energy density and performance of eVTOL batteries, supporting eVTOL longer flight range and higher payload, while also ushering in more significant improvements in safety and stability. Through the in-depth cooperation with CATL, Autoflight can not only accelerate the development and application of eVTOL battery technology, but also lead the overall technical capability of eVTOL aircraft to a new height.

Autoflight is currently undergoing CAAC, the Chinese regulator’s certification process for its „Prosperity“ eVTOL. Autoflight has received the type certification from CAAC for the cargo model, V2000CG, of this aircraft in March 2024.

On 11 July 2024 the leading eVTOL company Joby Aviation annouced that one month agao they have flown a modified S4 tilt-rotor eVTOL converted to liquid hydrogen fuel cell electric 523 miles (841km) on one tank of liquid hydrogen.

The landmark test flight, believed to be the first forward flight of a vertical take off and landing aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen, was completed last month using a converted Joby pre-production prototype battery-electric aircraft fitted with a liquid hydrogen fuel tank and fuel cell system. It landed with 10% of its hydrogen fuel load remaining. The flight was supported by the Agility Prime project of the US Air Force.

Joby’s hydrogen-electric demonstrator is part of the Company’s future technology program and is the result of several years of collaboration between a small team at Joby and H2FLY, Joby’s wholly-owned subsidiary based in Stuttgart, Germany. The converted aircraft previously completed more than 25,000 miles of testing as a battery-electric aircraft at Joby’s base in Marina, CA.

Using the same airframe and overall architecture as Joby’s core, battery-electric aircraft, this demonstrator features a liquid hydrogen fuel tank, designed and built by Joby, which stores up to 40 kilograms of liquid hydrogen, alongside a reduced mass of batteries. Hydrogen is fed into a fuel cell system, designed and built by H2FLY, to produce electricity, water, and heat. The electricity produced by the hydrogen fuel cell powers the six electric motors on the Joby aircraft, with the batteries providing additional power primarily during take-off and landing.

Joby’s H2FLY team used similar technology to complete another record-breaking flight in September 2023, when they flew the world’s first piloted flight of a conventional liquid hydrogen-electric aircraft using their fuel cell technology.

A ceremony was held in Kunshan city near Shanghai in the afternoon on 22 March 2024 for the issuance of the type certificate from CAAC to V2000CG cargo eVTOL unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of Autoflight Technology.

This TC is issued to V2000CG under the large UAV category (empty weight >116kg and MTOW > 150kg) of Part 21 of CAAC. According to public information, this is the first certified large cargo eVTOL by CAAC and, in this sense, in the world. According to Autoflight, V2000CG has a maximum takeoff weight over 2 metric tons and a payload of 500kg. Autoflight has been developing in parallel the passenger-carrying model called „Prosperity“ similar to V2000CG.

At the ceremony Autoflight signed an agreement with ZTO, a leading Chinese delivery company, for 30 V2000CG and an agreement with Heli Eastern, the largest Chinese helicopter operator for operation partnership.

Autoflight applied for a type certificate to CAAC in September 2022 for V2000CG, which was officially accepted on September 29, 2022, and finally awarded the TC on March 22, 2024, which means that the certification of V2000CG lasted one and a half years.

For more information: autoflight.com/ZH

Shenzhen (27 February, 2024): AutoFlight, the eVTOL pioneer, today presented the world’s first inter-city electric air-taxidemonstration flight between the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai.

AutoFlight’s five-seater Prosperity eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft completed a significant milestone by autonomously flying a 100km (62 miles) roundtrip route from Shenzhen to Zhuhai and back. The flight from Shenzhen to Zhuhai across the Pearl River Delta took just 20 minutes, a journey that would require three hours by car. This achievement marks the world’s first public flight of an eVTOL aircraft on a cross-sea and inter-city route, spanning across the bay where the Pearl River meets the sea, connecting the two southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai.

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Big day in Shenzen today the First Flight over the pearl river delta with a 2 ton eVTOL will be executed as part of the Chinese Low Altitude Economy program will be executed from Zhuhai to Shenzen at 17:00 Local Chjina Time . read more later today here .