Tecnam has postponed development of its P-VOLT all-electric passenger aircraft, believing this can only be achieved by speculating on uncertain technology developments. Research into emerging technologies will continue despite the programme pause.
One conclusion informing the decision to postpone P-VOLT development revolves around battery packs, particularly the undesirable Net Present Value (NPV) for a battery pack at the end of its life.
Additionally, Tecnam found that with the most optimistic projections of slow charge cycles and the possible limitation of maximum charge level per cycle, the real storage capacity would be below 170Wh/kg. This means operators would need to replace the entire storage unit after only a few hundred flights, increasing operating costs.
“We don’t feel attracted by the ‘2026’ stream or any Electric Rush,” said Fabio Russo, Chief R&D Officer, Tecnam. “It has always been our culture to commit to achievable goals with customers and operators, and we intend to keep that promise.”
Tecnam believes that it would not be viable to manufacture a product for entry into service by 2026-2028 that meets its company mission of designing products with the highest value for money in efficiency, CO2 emissions, operating costs and profitability.
“We hope that new technologies will make businesses viable sooner rather than later, and we have real confidence in our partners’ ability to bring highly valuable products to the zero-emission powertrain and energy storage area,” added Russo.
Image: Tecnam P-VOLT
