Hydrogen-electric propulsion developer ZeroAvia has secured the first sale of a standalone electric propulsion system to Jetcruzer International for flight testing of an electric-powered version of the single-turboprop Jetcruzer 500.
ZeroAvia in April 2024 decided to offer electric propulsion components to other customers as it continues development of its 600-kW ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain for retrofit to aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-class turboprops, beginning with the Cessna Caravan.
The startup established a propulsion center of excellence at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, to produce electric propulsion systems for its own and customer powertrains. Jetcruzer is the first external customer for the 600-kW electric propulsion system, now undergoing FAA certification.
California-based Jetcruzer has resurrected the former AASI Jetcruzer and began test flights with the first remanufactured Jetcruzer 500 turboprop in September 2024 as part of wider plans to develop a zero-emission hydrogen-electric advanced air mobility (AAM) derivative.
First conceived as a low-cost transport in the 1980s, the Jetcruzer 500 will be used as a testbed for an electric-powered derivative dubbed the Jetcruzer 1250E. The Jetcruzer 500 has an unusual canard configuration, with an aft-mounted PT6A-66B turboprop driving a pusher propeller.
The original Jetcruzer 450, powered by an Allion 250 turboprop, received FAA Part 23 certification in 1994. Although the Jetcruzer never entered production, the assets were acquired in 2016 by Victor Tao, president of Ontario, California-based Farrar Aerospace. Tao is now also vice president of engineering for Jetcruzer International.
The assets acquired included four fuselages and two sets of wings. Jetcruzer plans to electrify one of the aircraft, with the target of installing the electric motor in the fuselage this year. The company also evaluated MagniX's magni650 electric propulsion unit before selecting ZeroAvia.
Now in early testing, ZeroAvia's 600-kW electric propulsion system includes four 200-kW continuous power bidirectional inverters converting DC power to AC to supply a direct-drive motor capable of 2,200 rpm.
Jetcruzer International is targeting the six-seat hydrogen-electric Jetcruzer 500E for entry into service in 2028. The 10-seat Jetcruzer 1250E, with twin tail-mounted pusher propellers powered by hydrogen fuel cells, is planned to follow in 2030.
–With Guy Norris in Colorado Springs.