Photo: H55/Anna Pizzolante
Given how the rise of electric powertrains has given a lot of people ideas, we're constantly seeing new company names popping up in all segments of the transportation industry. One of them is called BRM Aero, and today they caught our attention with something called the Bristell B23 Energic.
BRM is an Czech company born in 2009, and currently producing no less of seven aircraft models, all part of the Bristell family and all of them meant first and foremost for pilot training.
Most of the solutions already on the table are powered by Rotax engines, which are in essence internal combustion powerplants. The Bristell B23 Energic two-seater however will be using an electric powertrain, which is to be supplied by Switzerland-based H55.
The solution proposed by the Swiss is simply called Electric Propulsion System (EPS), and comprises the entire assembly, meaning the energy storage system, electric propulsion unit, power management, "and all related components and interfaces."
The EPS is already certified for CS-23 Level 1 aircraft, meaning those capable of carrying at most one passenger. But the thing can be adapted for a variety of applications, including larger ones, and from next year a larger, 200 kW variant meant for CS-25 planes is expected to enter operation.
The reason this plane came to our attention is an announcement made earlier this week by UK-engineering company Equipmake. It's a name we've come across before, thanks to things like the "world's most power-dense 3D-printed electric motor" (27 horsepower per kilogram), a heavy-duty electric powerplant capable of developing 3,500 Nm of torque at just 1,000 rpm, or a fully-electric double-decker bus with 250 miles (402 km) of range.
For the Bristell B23 Energic, Equipmake will supply an undisclosed type of electric motor that will be capable of accelerating the plane to a top speed of 200 kph (124 mph). Most likely, we're talking about a variant of the motor shown for the first time back in 2020.
This contraption uses an Halbach array approach, meaning the magnets are arranged in such a way as to augment the magnetic field on one side of the array and cancel the other out.
The motor shown three years ago was called Ampere, weighed under under 10 kg (22 pounds), and had a power rating of 295 horsepower.
It's unclear what battery the plane will use to go with the motor, but we're told it'll get “normal operations" worth of power in just one hour of charging, at the cost of just seven dollars per charge.
BRM says the airplane will be available for flight schools next year as a "highly advanced electric two-seater training aircraft." The cost of the flying classroom for pilots was not disclosed.
Most of the solutions already on the table are powered by Rotax engines, which are in essence internal combustion powerplants. The Bristell B23 Energic two-seater however will be using an electric powertrain, which is to be supplied by Switzerland-based H55.
The solution proposed by the Swiss is simply called Electric Propulsion System (EPS), and comprises the entire assembly, meaning the energy storage system, electric propulsion unit, power management, "and all related components and interfaces."
The EPS is already certified for CS-23 Level 1 aircraft, meaning those capable of carrying at most one passenger. But the thing can be adapted for a variety of applications, including larger ones, and from next year a larger, 200 kW variant meant for CS-25 planes is expected to enter operation.
The reason this plane came to our attention is an announcement made earlier this week by UK-engineering company Equipmake. It's a name we've come across before, thanks to things like the "world's most power-dense 3D-printed electric motor" (27 horsepower per kilogram), a heavy-duty electric powerplant capable of developing 3,500 Nm of torque at just 1,000 rpm, or a fully-electric double-decker bus with 250 miles (402 km) of range.
For the Bristell B23 Energic, Equipmake will supply an undisclosed type of electric motor that will be capable of accelerating the plane to a top speed of 200 kph (124 mph). Most likely, we're talking about a variant of the motor shown for the first time back in 2020.
This contraption uses an Halbach array approach, meaning the magnets are arranged in such a way as to augment the magnetic field on one side of the array and cancel the other out.
The motor shown three years ago was called Ampere, weighed under under 10 kg (22 pounds), and had a power rating of 295 horsepower.
It's unclear what battery the plane will use to go with the motor, but we're told it'll get “normal operations" worth of power in just one hour of charging, at the cost of just seven dollars per charge.
BRM says the airplane will be available for flight schools next year as a "highly advanced electric two-seater training aircraft." The cost of the flying classroom for pilots was not disclosed.
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