Published 6/28/2023

VoltAero debuts Cassio 330 electric-hybrid aircraft

The first member in the Cassio airplane family offers a clean-sheet airframe design, proprietary hybrid propulsion and sustainable fuel operation. Flight testing and certification are anticipated for late 2023 into 2024.

Aerospace

Edited by: Grace Nehls

Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld

VoltAero (Médis, France) has unveiled its first Cassio 330 electric-hybrid aircraft, the first member in an airplane family that brings together a clean-sheet airframe design with a proprietary hybrid propulsion system (more on this below). The no. 1 Cassio 330 prototype was introduced during a press conference with international journalists on VoltAero’s exhibit stand at the 2023 Paris Air Show.

“Today marks a true milestone for electric aviation, as VoltAero delivers on its promise to take an all-new approach for quiet, efficient and eco-friendly transportation that is based on a hybrid design combining thermal and electric propulsion for maximum flight safety,” Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and CTO, says. “I want to thank my VoltAero team for its dedication and tireless work in reaching this historic moment, as well as express my appreciation to our suppliers and partners for their commitment to Cassio.”

The prototype is targeted to perform its maiden flight in late 2023. This aircraft will be used to validate the overall airframe configuration and aerodynamics of VoltAero’s all-new design for Cassio, and will be powered by a four-cylinder Kawasaki Motors (Tokyo, Japan) thermal engine derived from the company’s motorcycle engine products.

It will be followed by the no. 2 Cassio 330’s maiden flight in the second quarter of 2024. This aircraft will be used for the airworthiness certification program, and is to be equipped with VoltAero’s full-up hybrid propulsion unit — composed of the four-cylinder Kawasaki Motors thermal engine (with a peak power rating of 165 kilowatts) and a Safran (Paris, France) ENGINeUS smart electric motor (with a peak power rating of 180 kilowatts).

VoltAero has selected Akira Technologies (Bayonne, France) for the integration and validation of Cassio’s hybrid propulsion unit, including its gearbox, the unit’s mechanical integration and ground testing and test/adaptation of the Kawasaki thermal engine and Safran electric motor.

The Cassio 330 will have a four/five-seat interior configuration, followed by the six-seat Cassio 480 with a combined electric-hybrid propulsion power of 480 kilowatts, and the Cassio 600 — which is to be sized at a 10/12-seat capacity with electric-hybrid propulsion power of 600 kilowatts.

VoltAero is also pursuing the application of sustainable fuels for Cassio’s hybrid propulsion unit, including biofuel and liquid hydrogen. Currently, VoltAero’s Cassio S testbed aircraft is performing flight validations of VoltAero’s hybrid power unit with biofuel. And as part of its Paris Air Show exhibit, VoltAero displayed a Kawasaki Motors thermal engine that operates with liquid hydrogen, which will be used on Cassio 330 aircraft in the future.

The Cassio family product line will target regional commercial operators, air taxi/charter companies, private owners, as well as utility-category service for cargo, postal delivery and medical evacuation (Medevac) applications.

VoltAero will assemble the Cassio aircraft in a purpose-built facility at the Rochefort Charente-Maritime Airport in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

VoltAero propulsion concept

Cassio aircraft will use an electric motor in the aft fuselage-mounted hybrid propulsion unit for all-electric power during taxi, takeoff, primary flight (if the distance traveled is less than 150 kilometers), and landing. The hybrid feature — with an internal combustion engine — comes into play as a range extender, recharging the batteries while in flight. Additionally, this hybrid element is said to serve as a backup in the event of a problem with the electric propulsion, ensuring true fail-safe functionality.