FutureFlight
Harbour Air and MagniX Strengthen eBeaver Team With Solar Impulse Battery Expertise
H55, a spin-off venture from the Solar Impulse electric aircraft program, will provide battery packs to support conversion of the Beaver utility aircraft to electric propulsion.
Harbour Air
Canadian airline Harbour Air plans to convert its Beaver seaplanes to electric propulsion. (Photo: Harbour Air)

Canadian regional airline Harbour Air and electric propulsion specialist MagniX are stepping up their plans to convert the DHC-2 Beaver aircraft to electric motors through a new partnership with H55, which will provide battery packs. Switzerland-based H55 is a spin-off venture from the Solar Impulse project, which flew a solar-powered electric aircraft around the world in 2015 and 2016.

The three companies today announced that they will work with Transport Canada to certify a combination of the MagniX electric propulsion unit with H55’s batteries, which have a specific energy of 200 Wh/kg. The initial goal is to convert Harbour Air’s existing fleet of Beaver seaplanes through a supplemental type certificate (STC) and then market a conversion kit for other operators to retrofit their aircraft.