Using insights from the EcoPulse demonstrator, Daher Aircraft is taking a pragmatic approach to a “more electric” airplane it expects to launch in 2027, company CEO Nicolas Chabbert said this week at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo. EcoPulse, a TBM 960 fitted with six electric motors on the wing leading edges, “was not a commercial product—it truly was a demonstrator for motors and batteries,” he told AIN. “What we now envision [for a commercial product] is a more electric airplane, likely hybrid-electric and a derivative of one of our existing airplane models,” meaning the TBM 960 or Kodiak 100/900.
According to Chabbert, the company learned a great deal from the 20 EcoPulse test flights. “We learned that we will have to revisit aerodynamics for electric aircraft, as well as make changes to the user interface,” he said, specifically citing the control yoke and power levers. “We also need to clearly outline the desired benefits, as well as the storage, distribution, and use of electric power. Then there’s certification.”
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