As the aviation world pushes aggressively towards alternate fuel solutions one major player is bowing out. Tecnam suspended work on its P-Volt project, suggesting that the technology available today for development of electric aircraft does not support the economics of further development at this time.
It has always been our culture to commit to achievable goals with customers and operators, and we intend to keep that promise. We hope that new technologies will make businesses viable sooner rather than later, and we have real confidence in our partners’ ability to bring highly valuable products to the zero-emission powertrain and energy storage arena. – Fabio Russo, Tecnam’s Chief R&D Officer
Ultimately, the problem comes down to power storage, the batteries. Recharge cycles and expected mission profiles would cause rapid degradation of the battery storage capabilities, leading to more frequent replacement cycles than previously expected. This is neither financially nor environmentally viable.
The company further explains, “Taking into account the most optimistic projections of slow charge cycles and the possible limitation of the maximum charge level per cycle, the real storage capacity would fall below 170Wh/kg, and only a few hundred flights would drive operators to replace the entire storage unit.”
While Tecnam sees potential should success be realized in “extremely aggressive speculation on uncertain technology developments,” the company does not see a viable solution entering the market in the next five years.
Not everyone in the electric aircraft world shares this view. Urban air mobility (UAM) companies continue to press forward. United Airlines and Eve announced San Francisco as the latest target market for UAM operations, with plans for “electric commuter flights throughout the Bay Area.” But the timeline remains vague.
Eve anticipates entry into service for its eVTOL in 2026, though when frames are allocated to individual customers and markets is less clear. Moreover, certification concerns could derail or delay that plan.
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So after tens of millions to dollars in development costs, they’re first finding out now that the current generation of batteries is inadequate. You’d think that would be the first thing they’d evaluate!