VoltAero congratulates Safran on the Cassio 1's first "Tour de France"

In June 2021, VoltAero's Cassio 1 electric-hybrid aircraft took off for an initial "Tour de France", powered by two ENGINeUS™ 45 electric motors. This provided an opportunity for the Safran Electrical & Power teams to see their motors tested in real-life conditions. A course comprising 27 stages in varied climatic conditions, with time constraints to be respected: a real test.

27 takeoffs, 27 landings, rainy flight conditions that had never before been experienced, in-flight temperatures ranging from 7 to 34 degrees Celsius (44 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit), and despite everything, it is mission accomplished for the ENGINeUS™ 45 electric motors! The pilots did not encounter any major failure during the entire journey.

The Cassio 1 test pilots have provided valuable feedback to the Safran Electrical & Power engineering teams, providing them with a full understanding of the environmental conditions and operational sequences to which the propeller electric drive motors are subjected.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to test our solution. The second generation of engine as used, and we are already in the process of developing the fourth generation. It is extremely useful and valuable to accumulate flight hours. This is the first experience of using our engines in real conditions, it will help us a lot" - Florent Nierlich, Technical Director.

In total, 63 hours of hybrid flight, take-offs carried out entirely with electric motors, and 4,900 km covered: