Aerovolt, a new British company, has commenced the installation of electric charging stations at UK general aviation airfields. Commencing this month, Aerovolt is installing charger stations at six airfields in the south of England, with plans to increase this to 24 stations over the next 18 months.
The charging stations will be used to charge electric GA aircraft, commencing with the Pipistrel Velis Electro – the first electric aircraft in
the world to gain regulatory approval. Aerovolt was founded in 2022 by Phil K-Dobson with his twin brother Alan and made
its debut at the recent Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).
Aerovolt’s charging stations will allow the company to offer low-cost electric flying to licensed pilots wishing to fly the company’s Velis Electro. A conversion course of training is required but then the Velis Electro aircraft will be available for £100 per hour, with electricity costing £8 to £9 per hour.
Recognising that transitioning from piston engine to electric aircraft requires a significant amount of ground school to be completed, along with a number of flights to get used to unique handling characteristics, particularly landings in a Velis Electro, Voltaero has decided to offer the training free of charge, including up to five flights with an instructor. Pilots will simply require to be registered with an active subscription on Voltaero’s ‘Squadron’ management system.
The ‘Squadron’ management system allows users to see the entire network of charging systems, providing live information on their status and allowing bookings to be made.
Aerovolt co-founder Phil K-Dobson said: “This is an exciting development in the aviation sector. Never before has a pilot been able to fly electric from one destination to another, charge the aircraft and return, using a publicly operated permanently installed smart charger.
“Later this year, SkyDemon will be adding our smart charging data feed for electric aircraft to their popular flight planning and navigation application, marking a first in live access to aircraft charger information in pre and in-flight operations,” Phil K-Dobson added. The first six charging stations are being installed this month at Lydd Airport, Brighton City Airport, Lee-on-Solent Airport, Sandown (Isle of Wight), Bournemouth Airport, and Kittyhawk in Essex.”
Image accredited to Pipistrel
