Bristell B23 Energic Selects Safran EngineUs Electric Motor

Deliveries of the Bristell B23 Energic are due to start by early next year, with the all-electric aircraft in the final stages of EASA CS-23 type certification, according to the manufacturer. Over 100 orders have been placed for the two-seat trainer to date, which will feature Safran’s dual-channel EngineUs electric motor as part of H55’s proprietary propulsion system.

The B23 Energic – first unveiled in April 2024 as an electric variant of the thermally-powered Bristell B23 – is a collaboration between Czech manufacturer BRM Aero and Swiss electric propulsion specialist H55. During a press conference on April 23 at April’s Aero Friedrichshafen show, H55 explained that the EngineUs motor is currently being integrated into an airframe, with aircraft-level certification expected late this year or early in 2027.

In December 2025, H55 also became the first company in Europe to complete the requisite EASA thermal runaway testing for its energy storage system. “What makes that very different is that we did it on a cellular level,” H55 co-founder Gregory Blatt told AIN. With H55 expecting a ‘no technical objections’ formality from EASA in about a month, “this has allowed us to commercialize the product,” he stated. Each aircraft will feature 82 battery modules containing 36 lithium-ion cells per pack (along with two redundant packs), offering a maximum takeoff power of 100 kW.

Depending on usage, batteries are expected to last around 1,500 hours, by which time incremental improvement should lengthen their successors’ capabilities. According to Blatt, this creates an additional value proposition. The customer fuelling the aircraft “isn’t investing in the oil industry. We’re investing in our own technology, which has an impact on the depreciation and the value of the airplane,” he suggested.

B23 Energic to Enter Service

With EASA certification efforts complemented by ongoing campaigns with the FAA and Transport Canada, an initial 100 or so orders are split evenly between U.S. and Europe, explained Blatt. Flight schools are the main market, which – according to Blatt – can benefit from an enhanced in-cockpit experience. This includes a simpler start-up process, less vibration, and a quieter teaching environment.  

Externally, the Energic’s reduced noise profile is also of increasing importance to training providers close to highly-populated areas. One U.S. flight school bought five units “for that reason alone,” confirmed Blatt, who added that last summer’s tour of a prototype aircraft across 25 U.S. airports and eight states was also met with a “very receptive” market. The Rotax-powered B23 received FAA type certification in September 2025, building on the first European deliveries of the thermal-engined variant in 2021.

H55 was founded on the legacy of its 2017 Solar Impulse project, which made the first all-electric round-the-world flight with a 17-leg journey in 2017. This experimental aircraft few over 2,500 electric flight hours, totalling over 50,000 kilometers. Describing the venture as a “eureka moment,” Blatt explained the project was vital to gain insight into a mixture of proprietary and open-source knowledge. “What we really understand is energy management,” he suggested, although cautioned industry peers to be realistic about existing technology. “I invite everyone working on batteries to be honest with the industry,” he concluded.