Liquid Hydrogen Powerplant Development Is Also In The Works

Jean Botti, CEO & CTO of VoltAero, was kind enough to give Aero-News a quick rundown on what makes their Cassio 330 so special. The Cassio family is a single-engine General Aviation hybrid, sporting a sleek, streamlined body, fixed gear, and a pusher prop configuration. The Cassio 330 will be the most accessible of the family, with seating for 4 and a combined 330-kw motor output.

Its bigger siblings, the Cassio 480 and 600, sport increasing power and passenger capacities, with 6 seats and 480 kilowatts and 12 seats and 600 kilowatts at the high end. For now, though, Voltaero has been testing out its Cassio 1 demonstrator, ‘de-risking it for airworthiness certification’. Once out, the Cassio 330 should offer about 3.5 to 5 hours of endurance, a cruise of 200 knots, range of 800 miles, and a takeoff distance under 1,800 feet. Add in fast charging on the ground (if you can source a 380-volt power lead) and the average owner should be able to fly it about 10 hours a day.

Botti was excited to announce a partnership with Kawasaki at AirVenture ‘23, since their well-sorted, small-displacement engines can be an excellent addition to Voltaero’s hybrid power systems. Botti isn’t just making a bet on hybrid power either, with some development being put into a Cassio powertrain that runs on liquid hydrogen. VoltAero is hard at work on their aircraft, working on certification for the completed Cassio 330 powertrain, a unit that combines a Safran ENGINeUS 100 smart electric motor with a Kawasaki Ninja’s inline-four.

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