VoltAero’s prototype Cassio 330 will utilise Safran Electrical & Power’s ENGINeUSTM 100 smart electric motor in the aircraft’s parallel electric-hybrid propulsion system, with the agreement for its supply signed today at the Farnborough Airshow.

The ENGINeUSTM 100 will have a maximum rating of well above 150 kW at takeoff and is to be integrated along with a 150-kW thermal engine in VoltAero’s proprietary hybrid propulsion unit on the Cassio 330. Features of the ENGINeUSTM 100 include an integrated motor controller and an optimised air-cooling system for thermal management.

“This marks another important step toward the Cassio 330’s first takeoff, initiating the certification program for our Cassio family of airplanes,” said Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technology Officer. “Cassio will benefit from the high-power density and proven technology that Safran Electrical & Power has applied in its ENGINeUSTM electric motor product line.”

Electric-hybrid propulsion

VoltAero will produce Cassio aircraft in three versions, each sharing a high degree of modularity and commonality. First to be certified is the Cassio 330, with a capacity of four/five seats and powered by the 330-kW electric-hybrid propulsion system. The follow-on six-seat Cassio 480 will have a combined electric-hybrid propulsion power of 480 kilowatts, while the Cassio 600 is sized at a 10/12-seat capacity with electric-hybrid propulsion power of 600 kilowatts.

The electric-hybrid propulsion system will be installed in the Cassio’s aft fuselage, driving a pusher propeller. VoltAero’s design for the Cassio aircraft family is based on a sleek, aerodynamically optimised fuselage, a forward canard, and an aft-set wing with twin booms that support a high-set horizontal tail.
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