The FAA has awarded ZeroAvia a signed P-1 special conditions issue paper pertaining to the certification of its 600-kilowatt electric propulsion system (EPS), the company announced on August 19.
Originally developed as a key element in ZeroAvia’s planned ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain retrofit for regional turboprops, the 600-kilowatt motor is one of several components that the company recently decided to start selling to other aerospace companies developing electric, hydrogen-powered, or hybrid aircraft. The company holds 45 patents for its electric and hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system components and has another 200 patent applications pending in the U.S. and Europe.
In February, the FAA and ZeroAvia finalized the G-1 certification basis for the 600-kilowatt EPS. ZeroAvia is producing its component line, including the EPS, in a facility at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. The newly approved P-1 issue paper establishes the special conditions that apply to the EPS and will be scrutinized during the FAA certification process.
According to ZeroAvia, once the FAA’s special conditions ruling is finalized, it will determine the means of compliance that outline how the EPS will meet those conditions during the next certification stage. The FAA will publish a notice of proposed special conditions in the Federal Register for public comment.
“Getting this electric propulsion system certified and into service will be a monumental leap in the next great transition in aviation: from fossil fuel combustion to electric aviation,” said ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “Electrifying aviation will deliver a step change in efficiency plus steep reductions in operating costs by overcoming volatile fuel prices and the costly maintenance of complex, high-intensity combustion engines.”
“Air travel has been bringing the world together for more than a century, but we can do better for passengers trying to get to and from underserved communities, hours away from a hub airport,” he continued. “ZeroAvia and others in advanced air mobility are laying the groundwork to connect more people, more affordably, and to more places.”