Colorado-based electric aviation startup Bye Aerospace has announced an eight-seat all-electric twin turbo-prop class airplane, the eFlyer 800, in response to growing demands for regional all-electric airplanes with significantly reduced operating costs, plus increased capacity and utility.
The turbo-prop class airplane’s 8-seat configuration consists of up to seven passengers and one or two pilots in front. The first flight performance calculations of the eFlyer 800 see a service ceiling of 35,000 feet.
Bye Aerospace is working with the French technology group Safran on the development of the two wing-mounted ENGINeUS electric motors and the GENeUSGRID electric distribution and network protection system. These will be powered by quad-redundant lithium battery packs. The eFlyer 800 will have up to 320-knot cruise speed and 500 nm range with 45-minute IFR reserves at a normal cruise speed of 280 knots.
“Safran product lines with the ENGINeUS motors, rated from 50kW to 500kW/1MW and GENeUSGRID systems, perfectly fit with the Bye Aerospace portfolio of e-aircraft,” said Hervé Blanc, Executive Vice President and General Manager Power with Safran Electrical & Power. “Building upon our successful cooperation on eFlyer2 and eFlyer4, we are very proud to bring our best expertise to support Bye Aerospace in the design of the new eFlyer 800.”
In addition, the aircraft will also be equipped with a full-airplane parachute. Other features include an emergency auto-landing system, an intelligent algorithm ensuring envelope protection, terrain avoidance, routing for emergency auto-land, and an option for supplemental power solar cells and in-wheel electric taxi.
According to the company, the eFlyer 800 will have only one-fifth of the operating costs of traditional twin turbo-props and is geared for the air-taxi, air-cargo, regional, and charter aircraft markets. The aim is for a market launch between 2024 and 2026.
