U.S. based Surf Air Mobility (SAM) announced the signing of two new agreements with magniX, a leader in electric aircraft development, and airplanes development company AeroTEC. The purpose of the partnerships is to develop and certify hybrid and all-electric engines for the Cessna Grand Caravan.
Aircraft equipped with this type of propulsion would reduce operating costs and associated emissions. As a result, they would improve the affordability of regional air mobility.
Surf Air Mobility plans to develop a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its own electrification innovations. The propulsion units will be supplied by magniX, which developed the EPU product family for this purpose. AeroTEC will be responsible for testing and will provide engineering services, support project management and contribute its expertise in certification programs with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The two companies that agreed to work with Surf Air Mobility already have experience operating an all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan 208B. The success of the initial tests demonstrates the future viability of this technology, they say.
Sudhin Shahani, co-founder and CEO of Surf Air Mobility said that AeroTEC’s experience in such programs and magniX’s leadership in developing electric alternatives for the aviation industry make them «perfect partners» for the company to accelerate the electrification of the turboprop.
According to the company, its focus is on developing and commercializing electric variants of aircraft currently on the market. This would facilitate the transition of interested operators towards more sustainable mobility, without the need for major changes to the current infrastructure.
Finally, Surf Air Mobility also announced that it has reached an agreement to merge with Southern Airways Express. While routine regulatory reviews have yet to be completed, the merger of the two companies could accelerate the start of electric Grand Caravan operations in the commercial airline market.
Southern Airways is a U.S. regional airline based in Palm Beach, Florida. It is one of the largest operators of the model in the United States and could be the first customer to operate commercial flights with the electric-powered version.
The airline would benefit from a reduction in operating costs of up to 25%. In addition, it could reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%. All this would be possible without the need to adapt ground infrastructure and with the possibility of having aircraft with the same flight range and performance as those currently in service.
