ZeroAvia, a developer of hydrogen-electric aviation solutions, has secured its first sale of a standalone 600kW electric propulsion system (EPS) to Jetcruzer International.
ZeroAvia’s 600kW EPS includes the company’s proprietary inverters and electric motor technology, forming part of a broader push into electric aviation beyond its core hydrogen-electric powertrain business.
“We are providing a development unit of our 600kW EPS and the key milestones are for this to be used in ground testing and flight testing of the airframe as they work towards certification,” Dominic Weeks, Head of External Affairs at ZeroAvia, told Zag Daily.
The 600kW EPS recently received an FAA G-1 issue paper outlining the basis of certification.
“We target completion of the type certificate for the 600kW EPS with the FAA over the next year – so well in advance of Jetcruzer’s entry in service target of 2028 for the 500E,” he explained.
ZeroAvia has already secured over 2,000 pre-orders for its full hydrogen-electric powertrains and is now seeing increasing interest from aircraft manufacturers for standalone propulsion components.
“We are in advanced discussions with OEMs looking at clean-sheet electric aircraft, with a range of designs and propulsion architectures planned, from hybrid and battery-powered, to fuel cell,” added Weeks.
To support growing demand, ZeroAvia recently opened a 136,000 sq ft Propulsion Center of Excellence in Everett, WA.
“The facility gives us the necessary scale and capabilities to meet the market for both our full hydrogen-electric engines and in selling our motors and inverters separately, or combined as a packaged electrical engine that is power source-agnostic,” he said.
Jetcruzer’s electric aviation plans
US-based aircraft manufacturer Jetcruzer International is set to use the technology in the development of its Jetcruzer 500E aircraft. Delivery of the system is expected this spring, supporting flight tests as Jetcruzer works toward its 2028 entry-into-service target.
Jetcruzer International is redesigning and rebuilding the Jetcruzer 500 as a testbed for the new electric aircraft.
Originally developed in the 1990s as a cost-effective transport solution, the aircraft never reached production. The company acquired its intellectual property in 2017 and has since shifted its focus toward developing hydrogen-electric aircraft, targeting the launch of the Jetcruzer 500E in 2028, followed by the Jetcruzer 1250E in 2030.
