Aimed At Upgrading A First Generation Fleet Of Vehicles Focused On 9- To 19-Seat Aircraft

Surf Air Mobility has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire hybrid electric aviation technology pioneer Ampaire. The addition of Ampaire's proprietary hybrid electric powertrain technology is a critical component in Surf Air Mobility's plans to dramatically improve the affordability, accessibility, and environmental footprint of aviation, beginning with regional travel.

"With flight demonstrations and testing already in progress, Ampaire's hybrid electric powertrain technology brings us closer to the next great shift in air travel: sustainable aviation that's accessible to everyone," said Sudhin Shahani, Surf Air Mobility's co-founder and CEO. "With this advanced technology, we have the opportunity to solve aviation's biggest problems—operating cost and environmental impact—through electrification. We see the near-term opportunity to transform existing turboprop aircraft across the entire industry as the first step to ultimately extend to fully electric aviation across all trip lengths."

Ampaire is creating hybrid electric powertrains for existing popular aircraft, aimed at upgrading a first generation fleet of vehicles focused on 9- to 19-seat piston and turboprop aircraft. There are tens of thousands of aircraft eligible for this type of powertrain upgrade worldwide. Surf Air Mobility intends to make hybrid electric powertrain upgrades available to fleet owners on and off its consumer platform, as well as license its technology to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for new aircraft types. Extending the availability of electric technology will further Surf Air Mobility's mission to move the world forward faster, and accelerate the industry's path to zero emission travel.

Surf Air Mobility and Ampaire intend to drive further advances toward fully electric aircraft, with the goal of significantly reducing direct carbon emissions. Transitioning to electric aircraft could also reduce fuel costs by up to 90 percent according to the World Economic Forum, as well as lower maintenance expense and noise.

"Working with Surf Air Mobility will allow us to follow the successful path of hybrid electric automobiles and take that model to the sky more quickly," said Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker. "It is our intention to be one of the first to make this technology available at scale on both existing and new commercial routes."

Ampaire has successfully completed a month-long demonstration program of the first electric-powered flight on a commercial route with its Electric EEL, a hybrid electric Cessna 337 aircraft. This is the first aircraft of this type to receive FAA experimental market survey approval, allowing the company to carry passengers other than flight crew. The deployment exemplified the performance benefits of hybrid electric systems, with 100 percent dispatch reliability and long endurance flights of more than 340 miles and durations up to three hours. Ampaire has also cultivated extensive partnerships, including NASA, the Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), and The United States Air Force. With an active multimillion dollar contract under NASA's initiative for electrifying megawatt class planes, Ampaire is a trusted contributor to NASA's goals for achieving noise, emissions, and fuel burn reduction in commercial aviation. Surf Air Mobility will continue this work to make industry-wide progress toward affordable, sustainable electric air travel.

FMI: www.surfair.com, www.ampaire.com