The UK company Aerovolt has installed an electric charger at the airfield with an electric plane, which will be used by the airfield to train pilots and leisure flying.
At a press event today, the plane launched and will be open to the public tomorrow (Saturday, February 24). The two-seater aircraft is made of carbon fibre with an electric battery which has a run time of around 40 minutes depending on how the plane is flown. Once you are done, the plane plugs in and charges the same way an electric car would, an app on your phone and plugs into the plane.
AeroVolt has also installed three electric charging points in the car-park, which allows people to drive to the airfield in their electric cars and then hop into your electric plane.
The company is also working with Octopus Electroverse, to expand the network. A platform like the electric car charging station has been installed at the airfield, with two cables underground, should Dunkeswell want to add another charger in the future.
Aerovolt was founded in 2022 by Phil K-Dobson and his twin brother Alan and had its public debut at the recent Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).
Aerovolt also offers low-cost electric flying to all pilots with a Private Pilot’s Licence. A conversion course of training is required but then the Pipistrel Velis Electro aircraft will be available for £100 per hour, with electricity costing £8 to £9 per hour.
Aerovolt has developed its own ‘Squadron’ management system to book charging slots, real-time charger usage, load balancing and communication across the network.
Phillip Kingsley Dobson told the Herald: “This is an exciting development in the aviation sector,” said a statement from Aerovolt. “Never before has a pilot been able to fly electric from one destination to another, charge the aircraft and return, using a publicly operated permanently installed smart charger.
“Later this year, SkyDemon will be adding our smart charging data feed for electric aircraft to their popular flight planning and navigation application, marking a first in live access to aircraft charger information in pre and in-flight operations.”
“This launch is very exciting for Dunkeswell and I hope starts the electric plane revolution.”
