ELECTRON Aerospace, an electric aircraft developer based in the Netherlands, has signed up two new customers for its future battery-powered aircraft.
Air2E and Hopscotch Air, two air taxi operators based, respectively, in Berlin, Germany, and Farmingdale, New York, have placed orders for the Electron 5 aircraft, which is currently still under development and not expected to enter service until nearer 2028.
With these two deals, the exact breakdown of which hasn’t yet been made public, ELECTRON Aerospace has already accumulated orders worth almost €200 million.
This includes previous orders placed by Australian electric aircraft operator FlyOnE, as well as Mint Air, a Korean startup.
ELECTRON, which also intends to be an air operator under the ELECTRON Aviation brand, has also has an agreement with DANX Carousel, which has also invested in the venture. Through this partnership, the Danish logistics company secured access to 25% of ELECTRON’s operational capacity on that side of the business during the first three years. DANX Carousel, aims to use the Electron 5 in cargo missions.
“Our engineering team is delivering extremely well, beyond expectations. This means that, even if the financial climate is tough, there are a number of companies that are already operating aircraft in our category that have evaluated the Electron 5 and got firmly behind our project,” Josef Mouris, ELECTRON’s co-founder and CEO, explained to AeroTime. “We are not talking about letters of intent, but of memorandums of understanding that come with some downpayment commitments”
Due to weight restrictions, the first iteration of the Electron 5 will be able to carry five people (one pilot and up to four passengers) over distances of 750 km (466 miles). However, the aircraft is being designed to be able to carry up to six people (one pilot and five passengers) as soon as improvements in battery density and weight make this possible.
Norbert Werle, founder and CEO of Air2E, told AeroTime that he expects the new electric aircraft to bring about a significant operational cost reduction, potentially up to 50%.
The German entrepreneur explained that Air2E opted for the Electron 5 because its clean-sheet design and size are an excellent fit for the firm’s current operational profile. Air2E currently uses aircraft such as the Diamond DA42 and DA62, as well as the Pilatus PC-12, when providing individual air mobility services within Germany and Europe.
“There are different ways to contribute to the fight against climate change. We opted to invest directly in the transformation of aviation,” Werle concluded.