Tokyo (SCCIJ) – Switzerland jumped to the forefront of sustainable air travel with the completion of the first around the world trip in a solar plane. André Borschberg, one of the two pioneering pilots, now launched a new electric aircraft named “Bristell Energic”. The start-up unveiled the plane at its base in Sion airport in Switzerland. The two-seater plane powered by electric motors will soon go into production. Borschberg is a two-times SCCIJ luncheon speaker.
New Swiss electric plane “Bristell Energic”
Swiss propulsion system
H55, a Solar Impulse technological spin-off, has successfully flown the new electric airplane. Powered by H55’s electrical propulsion system and manufactured by BRM Aero, the “Bristell Energic” is a two-seater fully electric aircraft to be used for pilot training and flight schools. For H55 this is a stepping stone for the development of electric propulsion systems designed for vertical take-off and landing planes as well as flying taxis.
The Swiss start-up H55 develops certified electric propulsion solutions to enable the next aviation revolution. The company focuses on the entire propulsion chain, starting from the energy source and its management, through thrust and power, to pilot interface and control systems. Through its close and long-standing collaboration with regulatory authorities, including the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation, H55 leverages certification as an essential source of innovation.
Perfect for training programs
This electric flight trainer airplane has received considerable interest from flight schools, airport resident associations and aviation authorities. The Bristell Energic offers a solution that is clean, quiet, and safe. The airplane has an endurance of 1.5 hours, providing 45-60 minutes of mission flight with enough reserves, a typical training program for flight schools.
Commenting on this important milestone, André Borschberg, former CEO and Pilot of Solar Impulse, and now H55’s Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, is convinced that electric air transport will profoundly transform and improve urban mobility. “Electric propulsion has enabled the world of drones, it will do the same for aviation,” he said.
The Bristell Energic will be a stepping stone for the development of such new aviation transport solutions, where the challenge will be safety and certification. “By having our electric airplanes fly and monitoring their performance, H55 will continue to build up big data essential for the development of VTOLs and flying taxis,” Borschberg said.
Flight trainer for emerging markets
BRM Aero is becoming a significant airplane manufacturer in the growing trainer market. The company’s Founder and CEO, Milan Bristell, sees continued growth as “the emergence of civil aviation in large markets such as China and India requires pilot training with a real flight trainer with a maximum take-off weight equal to or above 750 KG.” The market would be impatient for an electric airplane, and the goal at Bristell would be to respond to this with a flight trainer which is clean, quiet and affordable to operate, he added.
Founded by André Borschberg, Sébastien Demont and Gregory Blatt, all part of the former Solar Impulse senior management team, H55 are positioning the company and its home country Switzerland to be an essential player in electric propulsion and clean aviation. In addition to Swiss Federal Government funding, the Canton of Valais through the Ark Foundation and the City of Sion, the company has also benefited from financing through Nanodimension, a Swiss-Silicon Valley-based venture capital fund, thereby providing H55 with an extensive network of partners and global expertise.
Text and photo: H55
