Voltaero unveils Cassio hybrid-electric

Last month VoltAero revealed the production configuration for its Cassio aircraft, which will revolutionise general aviation with a highly efficient, safe and optimised family of airplanes powered by the company’s hybrid-electric power module.

Cassio utilises VoltAero’s hybrid-electric power module in an aft fuselage ‘pusher’ configuration, integrating a cluster of electric motors with a high-performance internal combustion engine that serves as the range extender. The powertrain currently is being validated on VoltAero’s Cassio 1 flight test aircraft, ensuring a high level of maturity for certification and production. “The Cassio production design’s unveiling represents the latest step in our realistic and highly pragmatic creation of an all-new aircraft family,” said Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technical Officer. “It benefits from our team’s unmatched experience in hybrid-electric aviation, as well as the ongoing full-scale flight testing that removes the risk as we move toward the production phase.”

VoltAero’s proprietary Cassio design is based on a sleek, aerodynamically optimised fuselage, a forward fixed canard and an aft-set wing with twin booms that support a high-set horizontal tail. Cassio will be offered in three versions, each sharing a high degree of modularity and commonality:

• Cassio 330: four-seat configuration with propulsion from a combined hybrid-electric power of 330 kilowatts.

• Cassio 480: configured with six seats and a hybrid-electric propulsion power of 480 kilowatts.

• Cassio 600: with a 10-seat capacity and hybrid-electric propulsion power of 600 kilowatts.

Cassio aircraft will be produced at a purpose-built final assembly line in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of southwest France, with VoltAero leading a world-class team of partners and suppliers. Licensed production opportunities will be pursued in North America and Asia. Initial deliveries are targeted for the end of 2022, beginning with the four-seat Cassio 330 version.

The Cassio family of airplanes is tailored for operation by private owners, air taxi/ charter companies, in commercial flights for pointto-point regional travel and in various utility-category applications. Cassio will be certified to Europe’s EASA CS23 certification specification as a single-engine, general aviation category aircraft.