What if the first hydrogen plane was French? This is the ambition of the start-up VoltAero, which announced, this Sunday, the day before the opening of the Le Bourget air show, the launch of a hydrogen aircraft demonstrator based on the Cassio 330, a small five-seat electric hybrid aircraft. “Its engine is developed by our partner, Kawasaki Motors. The plane carries cryogenic liquid hydrogen (at – 253 degrees, editor’s note), which will be injected directly into the engine. This demonstrator is preparing for the future with the first 100% sustainable aircraft,” says Jean Botti, founding CEO of the young French company.
Last month, the Japanese group announced its arrival in the VoltAero funding round for an amount that remained secret. In addition to funding, Kawasaki Motors is contributing its expertise in the development of propulsion systems for the future Cassio line of aircraft. The 330 model, which will initially be hybrid, with an ENGINeUS electric motor, supplied by the French engine manufacturer Safran, will be the first to enter service by 2025. “We have started the certification process in 2021 with the aim of obtaining in 2024, one year after the first flight scheduled for the end of 2023. And we are planning the first deliveries in 2025”, specifies Jean Botti, former director of innovation at Airbus.
This program benefits from all the experience acquired with the first aircraft, the Cassio S. This aircraft is the only one in Europe to take off and land “all electric”. The manufacture of fuselage components for the first production Cassio 330 has begun at its Italian partner TESI, in order to be ready for the first test flight at the end of the year.
The start-up plans to assemble the Cassio 330 in a new factory built on the edge of the runway at the Rochefort aerodrome (Charente-Maritime). This hybrid electric device, which is a serious candidate for the title of the world’s first low-carbon production aircraft to enter service, is the first of a family. The latter will have two more powerful aircraft: the six-seat Cassio 480 and the twelve-seat Cassio 600.
This family of aircraft with a light aluminum structure will be able to fly at 330 km/hour, for up to 3.5 hours, ie a range of 1,200 km. And will have the capacity to travel 1800 km with the addition of an additional tank to carry out medium-haul flights. These aircraft target the general and private aviation markets, aircraft taxis, but also point-to-point regional commercial flights as well as other missions such as freight transport or medical evacuation.
These aircraft primarily target the business aviation segment occupied by propeller (turboprop) and piston aircraft, estimated at 19 billion dollars (excluding bizjets), over the next eight years. “We are aiming for 30% of this market by 2027-2028, specifies Jean Botti. The majority of business jet flights are less than 200 kilometres. We believe that some operators will move from thermal to more virtuous aircraft, therefore to the Cassio 330.”
The start-up has already garnered 218 letters of intent from regional business aviation companies such as FinistAir, lessors such as Green Aerolease, which specializes in electric aircraft, but also from traditional companies that want to complete their offer (23 copies) and Air New Zealand, particularly internationally. Some of these commitments must be converted into firm orders during the Paris Air Show.
VoltAero, which was supported by the Greater Aquitaine region and the mixed syndicate (SEM) of Rochefort, has already mobilized 15 million euros in this program. And in total, it will be 32 million to launch mass production of the Cassio 330. The young shoot has notably raised funds from Bpifrance and private investors.
