Tecnam P-Volt

The Tecnam P-Volt is an Italian light electric aircraft that was under development by Tecnam in conjunction with Rolls-Royce.[1]

P-Volt
Role Electric aircraft
National origin Italy
Manufacturer Tecnam
Status Development suspended (2023)
Primary user Widerøe

On 13 June 2023 the company announced it was suspending development of the P-Volt due to battery technological limitations.[2]

Design and development

The P-Volt was developed from the Tecnam P2012 Traveller[3] as a nine passenger short-haul aircraft suitable for commuter airline use.[4] Like the Traveller, it was to have a high wing layout with fixed tricycle landing gear. Rolls-Royce was developing the electric power train and the aircraft was projected to have a range of 85 nautical miles per charge.[5]

The range was projected with a 30 minute energy reserve for VFR, and the aircraft would have been difficult to operate with an IFR alternate airport within range.[6]

The company announced that the project was being suspended on 13 June 2023, due to battery technology limitations, expressing concern that the batteries could only assure planned mission completion when new. As the battery performance degraded with use, the only way for operators to fly scheduled routes would be by replacing the batteries after only a few hundred flights, making the aircraft uneconomical to operate.[2]

Operators

In March 2021, Norwegian airline Widerøe had announced their intention to purchase an unknown number of P-Volt aircraft for delivery in 2025 and entry into service in 2026.[7]

See also

References
  1. O'Connor, Kate (27 October 2020). "Tecnam, Rolls-Royce Partner On Electric Commuter". AVweb. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  2. Phelps, Mark (13 June 2023). "Tecnam 'Postpones' All-Electric P-Volt Development Program". AVweb. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  3. Ostrower, Jon (12 November 2020). "Electric flying advances to the mainstream as Tecnam joins the race". The Air Current. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  4. Phelps, Mark (16 March 2021). "Electric Airliners Coming Soon, As Scandinavian Carrier Goes With Tecnam P-Volt". Plane & Pilot Magazine. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  5. Hemmerdinger, Jon (18 November 2021). "Tecnam reveals expected performance of in-development P-Volt electric aircraft". Flight Global. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  6. Bjorn Fehrm (4 February 2021). "Bjorn's Corner: Sustainable Air Transport. Part 5. Fundamentals recap". Leeham News.
  7. Alcock, Charles (11 March 2021). "Wideroe Goes Electric with Tecnam's P-Volt". Aviation International News. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
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