Dovetail Electric Aviation has presented the latest version of its innovative hydrogen electric engine prototype for aviation in Seville. The Australian company, which has been looking for a location to develop its project in Europe since 2022, chose Andalusia for this first test phase.

In addition to having the backing of the Andalusian Regional Government, Dovetail has been a beneficiary in this first phase of the ICEX Innova Invest programme for attracting R&D activities to Spain, financed with funds from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. The project's contribution to the advancement of zero-emission technologies in aviation, in line with global environmental goals, was also noted.

Decarbonising aviation
The launch event followed the one held in Australia earlier this year, and will be complemented by the first flight, which is expected to take place in 2025. The engine developed by Dovetail aims to set a historic milestone in sustainable aviation by contributing to the decarbonisation of regional cargo and up to twenty passenger routes.

Faced with the possibility of eliminating regional air routes due to their poor energy efficiency, Dovetail's proposal is aimed at creating new routes that would speed up connections between different points. The company gives the example of a future route between Faro (Portugal) and Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) that would reduce journey times to less than a third of those by other means of transport.

Conversion of existing aircraft
One of the cornerstones of Dovetail's project is that its technology will be used to convert existing aircraft into emission-free electric aircraft. With this change, operating costs would be reduced by an estimated 40%, a significant reduction that would allow the opening of new regional routes that are not currently economically viable.

Dovetail's engine design has considered all the commonalities of current aircraft in the sub-20 passenger category in order to facilitate engine changes to best-selling models such as the Cessna Caravan, Beechcraft King Air, Twin Otter and Pilatus PC-12. Companies such as Volotea, Air Nostrum and Aciturri have supported the project as investors.

Sustainable air transport
Dovetail Electric Aviation CEO and co-founder David Doral said, "It is exciting to see things coming together, breaking new ground with a committed team of people, a joint mission to decarbonise aviation and a shared vision to be the spearhead in both Europe and Oceania for sustainable air transport. The work presented today is key for our next step, a first flight, which is now only months, not years away."

For his part, the director of financing and investor relations at ICEX, Alberto Sanz Serrano, explained, "Spain has important attractions for research and product development activities, such as access to talent, a network of first-class technology centres and excellent conditions for international expansion."

^{Photo: Dovetail}