Ampaire’s EEL Flies World’s Longest Hybrid-Electric Flight

Ampaire’s EEL demonstrator has flown the furthest a hybrid-electric aircraft has flown to date.

The aircraft broke the record as part of its journey from Camarillo to Oshkosh, where the aircraft will be featured during the EAA AirVenture event.

The record was broken on the second leg of the journey, which saw the EEL fly from Mojave to Hays in Kansas, covering a distance of 1,135 miles. The EEL was positioned from Camarillo to Mojave the night before to avoid potentially foggy weather in Camarillo on the day of departure.

Following a night stop in Hays, the aircraft flew the remaining 660 miles to Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport.

“By the time the EEL returns to California it will have flown more miles than any hybrid-electric aircraft, over 15,000, including airline demonstration flights in Hawaii and the UK. It is flying with great reliability and demonstrating the workhorse nature of hybrid-electric aircraft,” said Dr. Susan Ying, SVP of Global Partnerships, Ampaire.

The unique push-pull dual engine configuration of the Cessna Skymaster that the EEL is based on means that it is classed as a parallel hybrid aircraft, with one engine being a conventional engine, and the second engine powered by an electric drivetrain.

“We are taking the technology and expertise developed with the electrical EEL and applying it to our first commercial product, the hybrid-electric nine-seat Eco Caravan regional aircraft, which will make its first flight later this year,” said Ying. “That aircraft will demonstrate fuel savings up to 70 percent and emissions reductions up to 100 percent when using sustainable aviation fuel.”

Ampaire says that the EEL is able to achieve up to 40% in fuel savings over the standard Skymaster.