Colorado-based electric aviation startup Bye Aerospace is currently best known for its two-seater eFlyer 2 aircraft. That may soon change, though, as the company has now unveiled a planned battery-powered eight-seater.
Named the eFlyer 800, the turboprop class airplane will be able to seat a maximum of seven passengers, along with one or two pilots in front.
Thrust will be provided by two wing-mounted ENGINeUS electric motors, manufactured by project partner Safran Electrical & Power. These will be powered by quad-redundant lithium battery packs, for an estimated range of 500 nautical miles per charge (575 miles/926 km). The plane will have a rate of climb of 3,400 feet (1,036 m) per minute, and a ceiling of 35,000 feet (10,668 m).
In the event that the batteries or anything else should fail, the eFlyer 800 will also be equipped with a full-airplane parachute. Other features will include an emergency auto-landing system with built-in terrain avoidance, plus the options of solar cells for helping to keep the batteries charged, and electric motors in the wheels for taxiing.
![The eFlyer 800's cabin will measure 65 inches wide by 55 inches tall (165 by 140 cm)](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/a7629f2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3840x2160+0+0/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6a%2F06%2F4438c50c4de5a17590ee92267511%2Feflyer-800-pic6.jpg)
According to the company, the eFlyer 800 should have only one-fifth the operating costs of traditional twin turboprops. It will also produce no direct carbon dioxide emissions, and should be considerably quieter than traditional non-electric aircraft.
"Bye Aerospace is very early in the process for determining pricing, but a four to six year timeline is a reasonable initial estimate for availability," CEO George E. Bye tells us. "We are taking paid purchase deposits and will be announcing initial customers soon."
Source: Bye Aerospace