Tecnam has abandoned plans to develop the P-Volt all-electric commuter aircraft after concluding with its partner, Rolls-Royce, that battery technology is insufficient to support a commercially viable product. In a June 13 statement, the Italian airframer said it will continue to explore emerging technologies but will discontinue work on an electric-powered version of its nine-passenger P2012 Traveller twin-piston model.
After three years of research and development work, Tecnam said that currently available batteries would not be viable for operators due mainly to the need to frequently replace them. “The proliferation of aircraft with 'new' batteries would lead to unrealistic mission profiles that would quickly degrade after a few weeks of operation, making the all-electric passenger aircraft a mere 'green transition flagship’ rather than a real player in the decarbonization of aviation,” said the Tecnam statement. “Taking into account the most optimistic projections of slow charge cycles and the possible limitation of the maximum charge level per cycle, the real storage capacity would fall below 170 Wh/kg and only a few hundred flights would drive operators to replace the entire storage unit, with a dramatic increase in direct operating costs due to the reserves for battery replacement prices.”
