Harbour Air, North America’s largest seaplane airline, has partnered with motor developer magniX to convert its fleet to electric propulsion. The companies plan to replace the radial piston engine in one of the airline’s de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers with the startup’s 750-hp electric motor. The “re-motored” aircraft is expected to fly by the end of 2019 and will be used as the test aircraft for supplemental type certification of the conversion. Harbour Air plans to begin commercial service with the electric-powered Beaver in 2022, says magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski and wants to convert its entire fleet of almost 35 seaplanes, including the larger DHC-3 Otter and DHC-6 Twin Otter.
The Vancouver-based airline operates 12 routes to islands and other locations in the Pacific Northwest. A typical Beaver flight lasts 10-20 min. “We can do that with today’s batteries, let alone with 2022 batteries, which will provide longer range,” Ganzarski says. “Harbour Air understands what we can do today. For Seattle-Vancouver, they use a Cessna Caravan. We can’t do that with today’s batteries,” he says. “We can’t do 200 mi., but a Beaver flying 65-70 mi. between islands does make sense.” Harbour Air operations also lend themselves to electric propulsion, with frequent stops during which batteries can be recharged. Ganzarski says, “A 20-min. flight, 20-min. charging, and Harbour Air’s turnaround times are 30 min. to 1 hr. They can do this without changing the aircraft or their business model.”
At 750 hp, the magni500 motor is significantly more powerful than the Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial engine powering the DHC-2. But Ganzarski says operators already are reengining their Beavers with the more-powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop. “If they are looking for more power, we can make it clean. And an electric motor is not affected by altitude,” he says, noting piston and turbine engines lose power with altitude. The cost of “re-motoring” an aircraft like the Beaver “should be equivalent to reengining with a PT6,” says Ganzarski. But the operating cost should be significantly less because of the lower maintenance required by electric motors. “The five-year life-cycle cost should be 20-80% cheaper than today.” Under the partnership, Harbour Air will help with engineering of the modification and hold the STC to convert its own fleet and those of other operators. The plan is to begin with certification of the Beaver, then move on to the DHC-3 Otter, DHC-3T Turbo Otter and the DHC-6 Twin Otter. MagniX will be responsible for all aspects of the electrification, including the charging infrastructure, he says.