Hybrid-electric aviation pioneer Ampaire is preparing to launch a Series B funding round after confirming that Surf Air Mobility is no longer planning to acquire the startup. Flight marketplace Surf Air announced the agreement to buy Ampaire in February 2021. 

In statement, Ampaire said it has decided to “move forward as an independent company” as it prioritizes efforts to bring hybrid-electric versions of the Cessna Grand Caravan. The Ampaire team is working on plans to convert several aircraft types to hybrid-electric propulsion, building on recently completed flight tests with its Electric EEL technology demonstrator that uses a Cessna 337 as its platform. It now believes that the Grand Caravan conversion could be approved under an FAA supplemental type certificate by 2024.

For now, this development work is being funded by private investors and public grants such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-e program and the UK’s Future Flight Challenge. Ampaire still has two of the EEL aircraft in flight testing, with one being used to trial new technology and systems as part of ARPA-e. The other is being used to conduct market survey demonstration flights to familiarize prospective airline customers with how hybrid-electric aircraft could be deployed in commercial service. This work has involved Scottish airline Logan Air, with flight tests conducted in the UK and California.

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