Car vs plane E-Flight Challenge across Germany & more (The Allplane Newsletter #134)
Electric Aviation
The E-Flight Challenge 2023 pitched a Lucid Motors Air electric car vs an ElektraTrainer, a battery powered aircraft made by Elektra Solar GmbH, on a quest to be the first to reach the North Sea island of Norderney in a 300 mile itinerary across Germany. Who got there first? CHECK IT OUT!
Elfly, the Norwegian electric seaplane startup, has secured around $8M from the Norwegian government to pursue this project. Developing a clean-sheet aircraft usually takes a lot more money than that, but this is a start. Interestingly, Elfly wants also to get its own AOC and operate its own fleet. READ.
Talking about Norway…Researchers have published an academic paper about the sort of charging and battery swapping infrastructure that would be needed to electrify Norway’s domestic air network. READ.
Ampaire’s EEL visited Alaska (and apparently flew all the way there from Southern California). This is, apparently, the most northerly point visited by a hybrid-electric aircraft.
Advanced Air Mobility
EASA has published an “Opinion”, on advanced air mobility operations. This is a necessary step to set up a regulatory framework for the industry. CHECK IT OUT.
Wisk’s CEO, Brian Yutko, shared a video that explains how their autonomous eVTOL is being developed. WATCH.
Designer Emmanuel Klissarov is sharing some eye-catching eVTOL concepts. Intriguing.
The five Lilium Jets ordered by Swiss firm Air Dynamic will be deployed on the Lugano to Milan route, according to the Swiss media. READ [in French].
And, we don’t leave Lilium yet, because Volare Aviation, a UK-based private aviation firm, has published a post explaining why they chose the Bavarian eVTOL. READ.
So, Volkswagen is developing its own eVTOL too (time to recover this piece on CNN about the links between the automotive and the advanced air mobility industries!)
Hydrogen Aviation
Germany’s H2Fly has obtained permission to fly-test powered by liquid hydrogen.
Hydrogen aviation evangelist Paul Perera brought to my attention, with this post on Linkedin, French startup Blue Spirit Aero, which has designed a really cool light aircraft with distributed power and hydrogen fuel cell. Expected first flight in 2024.
ZeroAvia is partnering with Abu Dhabi-based energy company Masdar to advance in the development of a hydrogen aviation ecosystem. READ.
Other sustainable aviation news
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched a challenge to collect ideas to decarbonize aviation. Participants can send their proposals until the 2nd of October. CHECK.
Wizz Air launched its sustainability ambassador programme. 24 members of staff have been selected to promote sustainability initatives across the company and its many bases and stations. For more on Wizz’s approach to sustainability check this interview I did with Yvonne Moynihan on AeroTime.
Air Nostrum is doubling its Airlander 10 airship order to 20 (!) and plans to expand service to Malta and other areas around the Mediterranean. Quite an endorsement for a yet (relatively) unproven technology! (you can also check our podcast episode with Tom Grundy, Hybrid Air Vehicle’s CEO)
What else in aviation?
Air France is turning 90 in October and, to mark the occasion, is preparing an Air France-themed fashion exhibition at Galleries Lafayette, in Paris. READ.
Fancy buying an A380? Thai Airways has put six of them up for sale! (I was at the delivery ceremony of the first one back in 2012, here is the chronicle)
Google Flights is adding more features, including advice about when to book the flight to get the best fares. READ.
The 2023 list of newly launched and bankrupt airlines have been updated.
Is Nigeria Air finally taking off?…it looks like the launch will need to wait.
Virgin Atlantic is launching its first South American route, to Sao Paulo.
IndiGo is expanding internationally. The growth in the Indian market is not just domestic…and all those hundreds of aircraft need to fly somewhere! READ.
ANA is bringing back the 3rd Honu A380 on its Hawaiian routes. READ.