Kawasaki Motors becomes strategic investor in VoltAero

Kawasaki Motors has become a strategic investor in VoltAero, joining Series B funding for the development, production and certification of VoltAero’s Cassio electric-hybrid aircraft family.
 
This investment – which was announced prior to the opening of the EBACE European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland – marks the Cassio programme’s latest milestone, uniting VoltAero and Kawasaki in a shared vision for the future of electric aviation.
 
“Kawasaki’s engine expertise and its capacity for innovation brings a new dimension to VoltAero as we complete the final definition of our electric-hybrid powertrain for the Cassio aircraft family,” said Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO & Chief Technology Officer. “Having Kawasaki as a strategic investor is another major vote of confidence for the Cassio programme.”
 
Hiroshi Ito, President and CEO of Kawasaki Motors Ltd., added: “We were deeply impressed by VoltAero’s creative design and innovative technology in the aviation industry, as well as its strong sense of mission to help realize a carbon-neutral society, and decided to invest in VoltAero. We are delighted to contribute to VoltAero’s business growth through this investment.”
 
The Series B round marks the third funding phase for VoltAero, positioning it for the industrialisation of its Cassio 330 – the first in Cassio’s electric-hybrid aircraft family.
 
VoltAero’s airframe design for the Cassio series of airplanes is based on a sleek, aerodynamically optimised fuselage, a forward fixed canard and an aft-set wing with twin booms that support a high-set horizontal tail.