The government of the state of Victoria has made an undisclosed investment in Australian start-up Dovetail Electric Aviation to support its plans to bring electric regional aircraft to market. The company announced on April 12 that it has relocated its headquarters from New South Wales to Victoria, where it now has bases in Melbourne and at Latrobe Regional Airport.
The first stage of Dovetail’s business plan involves converting existing aircraft to use its battery-electric propulsion system, which includes MagniX’s 650-kilowatt motor and batteries provided by Mobius Energy. These aircraft could include twin turboprop models such as the Cessna Caravan, the DHC Twin Otter, the Beechcraft King Air, and the Casa C212.
Dovetail aims to get the first aircraft certified and in service in 2026. Its longer-term plan is to introduce a hydrogen-electric powertrain for longer-range aircraft. The company has previously said it intends to develop a new 19-seat hybrid-electric aircraft called the Dax 19 with a target service entry date of 2033.
In early March, Spanish aerostructures group Aciturri announced that it has become a strategic partner with Dovetail and the lead investor in its seed investment round. The amount of this investment was also not disclosed, and the company has not said how much capital it has raised to date.
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The fresh capital from the Victoria government has been provided by the state’s Invest Victoria agency. The funding was announced during an event at Latrobe, where Dovetail is now part of a new Aerospace Technology Precinct advanced air mobility "sandbox." It is already running ground tests with the hydrogen-electric powertrain prototype at the new site.
“We are really pleased to support Dovetail Electric Aviation’s new center in the Latrobe Valley, which will deliver world-leading innovations in the aviation sector, create new jobs in regional Victoria, and contribute to the state’s net-zero emissions goal,” said Harriet Shing, who is a member of the state’s parliament and a government minister.
In January 2023, Australia’s federal government awarded Dovetail an A$3 million (USD 1.9 million) grant. This funding was part of a larger tranche of support released by the country’s Industry and Science Department through its Cooperative Research Centres Projects program.
Dovetail is part of the Sydney Seaplanes group, which also owns Spanish start-up Dante Aeronautical. The two companies are distributors of MagniX’s electric motors.