Aero-News Network’s Rex Alexander talked with Jean Botti, CEO and Chief Technology Officer of VoltAero, at the 2025 EAA AirVenture fly-in and air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
In a well-attended press conference, Botti introduced and discussed the design of the HPU 210 hybrid engine that is now patented in 62 countries including the U.S. for both helicopters and aircraft. The demo engine brought to Oshkosh is applicable for LSA, kits, drones, or any non-certifiable aircraft and that it should be available very soon.
The company is very interested in fabricating the technology in the U.S. and in fact has a deal with Tennessee-based AltiSky to manufacture and distribute VoltAero’s Cassio family of aircraft.
The HPU 210 engine does not require certification for installation on LSA or drones. The engine is a hybrid between a four-cylinder, 200-hp Kawasaki motorcycle engine integrated with a certified, 60 kW (80 hp) Safran electric motor. So the combined hybrid powertrain is capable of producing 280 hp and will be used to power the Cassio prototype aircraft.
The Kawasaki engine, coming from the automotive world, can run on regular avgas or unleaded gas, and Botti said the company is working with Kawasaki to develop an engine that would be capable of running on liquid hydrogen.
VoltAero just displayed the Cassio at the Paris Air Show, and the company plans on beginning a flight program with EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, in 2026. The early part of the program will have the Cassio flying with the thermal engines, and at some point the hybrid engines will replace the thermal engines. That will enable EASA to certify both the structure of the aircraft and the hybrid powertrain.
The aircraft on display at Oshkosh this year has been evolved from a single pusher engine to a dual pusher engine configuration. The primary reason for the change was that validating a single pusher engine in the event of the loss of a prop blade was proving to be very difficult. So the company rethought the plan and went back to the twin engine configuration that was used to power the all-electric version in its flight demonstration across the English Channel in 2021.
In addition, the twin-pusher configuration also provides more redundancy and safety for eventual commercial operations.
Botti said the aircraft has been going through EASA certification since October 2021 and is about to enter the third of four phases of certification. He said if all goes according to plan, the aircraft will be type-certified by the end of 2027. That will enable the company to begin production and sales.
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