Australia-headquartered electric propulsion systems start-up Dovetail Electric Aviation has unveiled the latest version of its groundbreaking hydrogen-electric powerplant prototype for aviation in Seville. This event, the first of its kind in Spain, showcased cutting-edge technology aimed at revolutionising the aviation industry. It follows previous efforts earlier in the year where Dovetail became the first company ever to demonstrate a hydrogen electric powerplant for aviation at an Australian airport.

The powerplant will enable existing passenger (and cargo) aircraft under 20 passengers to serve regional routes, for example connecting Mediterranean archipelagos within and with the continent, or opening interesting new routes like Faro to Jerez in the south of Portugal and Spain respectively, which could connect the two countries in less than a third of the time currently required to travel from one international airport to the other.

Dovetail is developing a technology that enables the conversion of existing aircraft to emission-free electricity. This technology will reduce operating costs by 40 per cent for regional airlines and allow new regional routes to be opened that were previously not economically viable.

Dovetail's powerplant has been designed with commonality in mind and is capable of powering all the best sellers in the under 20 passenger category like the Cessna Caravan, Beechcraft King Air, Twin Otter and Pilatus PC-12. In particular, the system demonstrated in Seville has been customised to be mounted in a King Air, with all components, except the hydrogen tank, packed within the production aircraft engine nacelle.

Since 2022, Dovetail has been looking for a European location in which to develop its project, opting for Spain and Andalusia for this first phase of trials. It has done so with the collaboration of the Regional Ministry of Economy, Finance and European Funds through Andalucía TRADE. Dovetail is currently in talks with the Andalusian Regional Government, as well as with other regional governments, to choose the location of its future operations centre in Spain.

The prototype project has been partially funded by Spain's ICEX through its Innova Invest programme, with precursor work done in Australia with the support of the Victorian Government now taken to the next level with ICEX funding in Spain. The circle will be closed with the first flight planned for next year in Australia.

The Seville open day was attended by key officials, including local government representatives, as well as delegates from prominent tech and aviation companies from the international sphere. The Australian Government was also represented by the deputy head of mission at the Australian Embassy in Spain, Peter Kakogiannis.

David Doral, CEO and co-founder of Dovetail, says: “It is exciting to see things coming together, breaking new ground with a committed team of individuals, a joint mission to decarbonise aviation and a shared vision to spearhead sustainable air transport in both Europe and Oceania. The work presented here is instrumental for our next step, a first flight, now only months away rather than years.”

ICEX was represented by director of financing and investor relations Alberto Sanz Serrano, who congratulated the company for having chosen Spain as the base for the development of the project: “Spain has important features for research and product development activities, such as access to talent, a network of top-quality technology centres and excellent conditions for international business expansion.”

In Spain, Dovetail is supported by investors such as Volotea, Air Nostrum and Aciturri. It is in the process of closing a second tranche of its seed funding round, with parties committed and others in advanced due diligence process.