Electric aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel d.o.o Ajdovščina is advancing plans for a pair of new cargo aircraft and a hydrogen-powered 10-seat regional airliner. In its newsletter published on May 13, the Slovenian company indicated it intends to focus on these new developments more urgently than on its plans for the Pipistrel 801 eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing), which has been shortlisted by rideshare group Uber for its planned Uber Air urban air mobility product, reports Ainonline.com.
Electric aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel is a Slovenian company established in 1989 by Ivo Boscarol. Its facilities are located in Ajdovščina, Slovenia and near the town of Gorizia, Italy.
“Changes to the company’s priorities have come after delays with the Uber flying taxi program by many international aviation authorities,” the company said. “Continual extensions to the deadline for the development of a flying taxi service, which was commissioned by U.S. company Uber, has given Pipistrel the time to investigate future opportunities, some [of which] have been in planning and development for several years.”
The Uber Air services are set to launch from 2023 in one or more of the early-adopter cities the company has identified, including Dallas, Los Angeles, and Melbourne, Australia.
“We continue to see progress against our vision for Uber Air among many of our vehicle partners despite the challenges that come with Covid-19,” said Uber Air. “We expect some partners will proceed faster than others, but we remain focused on readying for commercial Uber Air service on our timelines.”
Pipistrel is one of eight “vehicle partners” selected by Uber, with the others being Boeing’s Aurora Flight Sciences subsidiary, Bell, Embraer X, Hyundai, Jaunt Air Mobility, Joby Aviation, and Karem Aircraft.
One of the cargo aircraft now being advanced by Pipistrel is of a similar design to the 801 eVTOL and would carry a payload of 660 pounds approximately 200 miles. The company said that it plans to deliver the first aircraft to an undisclosed customer in Asia during 2022 but, for now, has released no more details on its performance and specifications.
The second cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing design based on Pipistrel Alpha Electro electric light aircraft. It is being developed to be remotely piloted or manned and would be used for missions such as humanitarian relief, with packages being dropped from pods on each side of the wing and a cargo payload of almost 250 pounds.
Meanwhile, Pipistrel is working with a group of European companies to develop a 19-passenger, hydrogen-powered aircraft that would fly routes of up to 300 miles at around one-quarter of the operational cost of conventional aircraft. The company reported it is in the final stages of testing a dual hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and said the Miniliner concept could be ready to enter service in 2028.