VoltAero has unveiled the first example of its revised design for the Cassio 330 hybrid-electric regional airplane. The French company is displaying a mockup of the five-passenger model this week at the Paris Air Show.
According to VoltAero CEO and chief technology officer Jean Botti, the engineering team changed the Cassio 330 from an earlier design with a twin boom and tailplane to a more conventional T-shaped tail in response to certification concerns that surfaced in discussions with EASA. They have also adopted a series hybrid powertrain with a pair of Safran EngineUs electric motors and pusher propellers, instead of a single large propeller.
Botti told AIN that while the series hybrid configuration with a turbogenerator providing propulsive power for the motors and recharging batteries is not quite as energy-efficient as the earlier parallel hybrid powertrain, it will clear the company’s path to achieving type certification under CS23 rules at the end of 2027. He said that having two aft-mounted motors will give the Cassio 330 more flexibility for commercial operations, given current restrictions on commercial single-engine IFR flights.
VoltAero intends to adopt its original propulsion architecture for the larger Cassio 480 and 600 models it aims to bring to market later. Montpellier-based regional airline Airways Aviation has placed provisional orders for 15 Cassio 330s.
The manufacturer aims to start flight testing in the first half of 2026. “At first, we will only fly with the thermal power because we don’t want to mix all the [power] variables, but at the same time, we would validate the hybrid powertrain [on the ground],” Botti said. “After we do the first round of flights by mid-2026, we will integrate the powertrain with the aerostructures to validate [the complete aircraft] in 2027.”
Last week, VoltAero announced it is offering a parallel hybrid powertrain for use with kit-built aircraft. The HPU 210 combines a 60-kilowatt electric motor, as well as a battery with a Kawasaki H2SX thermal engine that provides up to 150 kilowatts of electric power.