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The Australian government is making moves to support the development of electric aircraft.
The Hon Ed Husic, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, announced the release of $44 million worth of grants to assist Australian companies in pursuing various research projects, with $3 million being contributed to Dovetail Electric Aviation.
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The Sydney-based aviation company, which aims to develop zero-emission aircraft for regional travel, will be using the funding for the development, testing and certification of its conversion from turbine-powered aircraft to entirely electric planes.
The project partners Dovetail with MEMKO Aviation, Aerospace and Defence Pty Ltd, The University of New South Wales, CSIRO, and Sydney Seaplanes, the other half of its parent company.
Dovetail says that electric aviation has the potential to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 50 million tonnes and that flights under 500km can be made with electric planes.
Dovetail Electric Aviation was one of 19 grant recipients as part of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program.
“This is a testament to the company’s dedication in driving innovation in the electric aviation industry and demonstrates the Australian government’s commitment to this burgeoning aviation sector,” said David Doral, CEO of Dovetail Electric Aviation.
“This funding will allow us to continue to push the boundaries of electric aviation and bring our vision of a more sustainable future for the industry closer to reality.”
Funding for Dovetail came in the 13th round of the CRC-P program, which since the first round in 1991, has contributed $5.6 billion in funding, with partners contributing an additional $16.9 billion.
“Electric aviation has the potential to be a game-changer for regional transport as Australia pushes to meet our emissions targets,” said Husic.
“I am pleased to announce support for 19 outstanding projects through the CRC-P initiative to assist them progress [sic] towards commercialisation.”
Dovetail has been making waves with its talk of electrification and has partnered with Rex Airlines to convert several of its 61 Saab 340 turbine aircraft into electric planes. Rex believes the effect could reduce operating costs by 40 per cent — a major change considering the high expense of regional routes.
