By Skies Magazine | July 23, 2021 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 20 seconds.
VoltAero, a hybrid-electric aircraft manufacturer, announced July 22 a partnership with Washington state’s KinectAir to launch a fractional-ownership, on-demand model for its Cassio 330 aircraft. The announcement will see KinectAir list the Cassio on its fleet of rideshare aircraft as soon as 2024, according to a press release.
The four-seat Cassio 330 is VoltAero’s first in a series of partially electric aircraft utilizing a proprietary propulsion module built by the company. The aircraft will have a range of up to 800 miles (1,290 kilometers), according to Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and chief technology officer, and will feature a combined hybrid-electric power of 330 kilowatts (as reflected in the model name). First deliveries of the Cassio 330 are targeted for Q4 2023. The type will be followed by larger Cassio 480 and Cassio 600 models.
“The Jetsons future of rooftop-to-rooftop travel we see in very promising [electric vertical take-off and landing] projects like Joby and Beta is just a long way out,” said KinectAir CEO Jonathan Evans. “This marriage of hybrid electric propulsion in conventional take-off and landing aircraft (eCTOL) is the emerging leader for greening regional air travel. We put these aircraft on a network and we put the power to summon them in your hands, and that’s game changing.”
With this announced partnership, the Cassio 330 will join the rest of the KinectAir aerial rideshare fleet when it is officially launched at this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh gathering. Here, the company will also be taking its first official expressions of interest from keen fractional or whole-aircraft owners. Cassio aircraft will be integrated into KinectAir’s short and medium haul route network, with artificial intelligence (AI) being applied to balance demand and aircraft availability.
This supports KinectAir’s plan to use AI software to expand regional air mobility operations, allowing the company to offer “a one-stop-shop solution to simpler and more affordable aircraft ownership that earns owners revenue through Airbnb-style aircraft utilization,” according to the press release.
Currently, according to its website, the company plans to host a variety of other aircraft in its fleet, from Cirus SR22s to Pilatus PC-12s, although their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 135 operator certificate is still pending.
VoltAero will be exhibiting at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this week at booth 3072C.
