Electric Aviation Startup to Complete MVP Build This Month
7 February 23
Dovetail Electric Aviation began in 2021 and is chasing a market estimated at $US 15 billion for retrofitting electric propulsion systems onto small airplanes.
A bit over two years ago, this website reported with sadness that MagniX – an Australian-born world-leader in electric aviation – had severed its ties with this nation, closing a Gold Coast R&D centre as it consolidated operations due to the pandemic.
Thankfully, other innovators – such as AMSL, Kite Magnetics and Dovetail Electric Aviation – have emerged offering hope that locally-grown contributions of relevance can be made to the emerging emissions-free air travel industry.
“Our short-term goal right now is the prototype, so spinning that propeller by the end of the month,” Rachael Barritt, Business Operations Manager and co-founder at Dovetail Electric Aviation.
“From there, a year from now, we want to have the first flight of the battery-powered aircraft. That will be working with Sydney Seaplanes.
“And shortly following that is our first hydrogen flight, which will be a King aircraft, and then within three years… certifying our first product.”
Barritt’s company – which she co-founded with former Quickstep CTO and founder of Dante Aeronautical David Doral, and Sydney Aviation Holdings CEO, Aaron Shaw – got started in 2021.
It is developing electric propulsion systems to retrofit to turboprop aircraft, first in Australia after gaining supplemental type certification, and then aiming to expand into Europe, Singapore, and possibly beyond.
It sees a $US 15 billion opportunity in an estimated 11,000 nine-to-19-seat aircraft in service.
Dovetail is ambitious and has a decent amount to do with MagniX. It is the exclusive distributor in ANZ, the South Pacific and Mediterranean Europe of their electric motors, and is using them in its own drive trains.
Barritt worked for MagniX from 2019 until the closure of its Australian site. She linked up with Shaw and Doral after a recommendation by Roei Ganzarski, MagniX’s former CEO and a current member of Dovetail’s board.
The year has apparently started strongly for the startup, which was awarded a $3 million CRC-P grant last month. Last week Barritt was named Swinburne University’s first Founder in Residence for 2023. And by the end of this month, her team plans to have built and operated a minimum viable product.
Source: AuManufacturing