Aircraft engine maker Safran is expanding its horizons in electric aviation, with three new programs in the works. The company's EngineUs family of electric motors is set to be used to power aircraft being developed by a pair of French start-ups, VoltAero and Aura Aero, and the first of these could be in service during 2023. At the same time, Safran is supporting Bye Aerospace in its efforts to bring its eFlyer family of all-electric aircraft to market.
Like rival aero engines group Rolls-Royce, Safran now places high priority on the burgeoning electric aviation sector, which is bolstered by growing calls for aviation to aspire to net-zero carbon objectives. Rolls-Royce is working with Embraer and Scandinavian airline Wideroe on studies focused on the possible development of a green regional airliner, and it is already providing electric propulsion systems for Tecnam’s new PVolt commuter model and for Vertical Aerospace’s VX-4 eVTOL aircraft.
