Safran Electrical and Power has been selected to supply the electrical wiring on VoltAero’s Cassio 330 electric-hybrid certification aircraft, confirming Safran’s role as a leading partner in VoltAero’s clean-sheet design.

With this contract, Safran Electrical and Power will design and produce electrical wiring for the propulsion system and power distribution system – in particular, the high-voltage wiring – on the Cassio 330 to be utilized in the certification program of this first member of VoltAero’s aircraft family. The wiring will be qualified for power ratings up to 800 Volts in continuous operation, and is to be designed to resist partial discharge phenomena at altitude. At the equivalent size of cabling produced today for traditional aircraft, the Cassio wiring will carry power levels twice as high.

Safran Electrical and Power will provide its technical expertise to support VoltAero in obtaining the SOF (Safety of Flight) validation – a prerequisite for carrying out the Cassio 330’s certification flight tests.

This contract extends a partnership signed in 2020 involving the Cassio 330’s electric-hybrid propulsion system. Safran Electrical and Power is to supply the propulsion system’s ENGINeUS 100 electric motor, which delivers a maximum power of more than 150 kW at takeoff. The ENGINeUS 100 integrates its own control electronics as well as an air-cooling system, ensuring an optimal size-to-power ratio.

“The electrical wiring is a critical element of our Cassio aircraft, and we’ve selected Safran Electrical and Power based on the company’s expertise – particularly at high power levels,” explains Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technology Officer. “This marks another important step toward the Cassio 330’s certification and service entry.”

Serge Pons, General Manager and Executive Vice President of the Interconnection Systems Eurasia division of Safran Electrical and Power, adds: “We are very proud that VoltAero has renewed its trust by selecting us for the electrical wiring of its Cassio 330 certification aircraft. Safran Electrical and Power's expertise is the result of many years of investment in research and development on high-power technology. Today, thanks to our technological building blocks for hybrid and 100% electric aircraft, we are actively contributing to the decarbonization of aviation.”

The Cassio electric-hybrid aircraft family will be a highly capable and reliable product line for regional commercial operators, air taxi/charter companies, private owners, as well as in utility-category service for cargo, postal delivery and medical evacuation (medevac) applications. Cassio will be produced in three versions: the five-seat Cassio 330; the Cassio 480 with six seats; and the 10-12-seat Cassio 600. By integrating VoltAero’s patented electric-hybrid propulsion system into the company’s purpose-designed airframe, the Cassio aircraft will deliver an order of magnitude higher performance as compared to the current competition and provide significantly lower operational costs.

The VoltAero propulsion concept is claimed to be unique: Cassio aircraft will use the ENGINeUS 100 electric motor in the aft fuselage-mounted hybrid propulsion unit for all-electric power during taxi, takeoff, primary flight (if the distance traveled is less than 150 km.), and landing. The hybrid feature – with the internal combustion engine – comes into play as a range extender, recharging the batteries while in flight. Additionally, this hybrid element serves as a backup in the event of a problem with the electric propulsion, ensuring true fail-safe functionality.