14th October 2024 | 18 months on from raising more than $50 million in its Series A investment, sustainable aviation startup, Ascendance, has reached $2 billion USD in preorders for its eVTOL, ‘Atea’, for which lifesize test flights are planned for 2025. Orders have come from helicopter lessors and operators across the United States. Hybridisation as a path to decarbonisation. Since being founded in 2018 by four ex-Airbus engineers who all worked on the E-Fan project, Ascendance has been creating Ascendance has been creating two market-ready innovations to decarbonize existing and future air travel:
● Sterna is a patented modular hybrid electric propulsion system compatible with sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and hydrogen in the future; it can go into new aircraft or be retrofitted in a conventional aircraft. It will open up the possibility of a new generation of aircraft with a significantly reduced environmental footprint - reducing emissions by up to 50%.
● Atea is a vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft; a quiet, low-carbon alternative to helicopters that provides an ideal response to the need for decentralised and regional point-to-point aviation. It will soon be the first aircraft powered by Sterna.
Jean-Christophe Lambert, co-founder and CEO of Ascendance, explains: “The aviation sector first explored all-electric options for decarbonization, but problems of range and infrastructure - namely heavy battery components, integration difficulties, long recharge time - have led decision-makers to seriously consider hybrid options. For Ascendance, hybrid-electric was a commitment from day one.
“Based on a propulsion architecture combining electricity and combustion power, hybrid solutions can reduce fuel consumption by up to 50%. Hybrid solutions can also be used without major modifications to existing engines and infrastructure. Today, we predict that there are 25,000 aircraft flying that could benefit from a hybrid-electric retrofit.”
Recent reports from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Aviation Impact Accelerator have both highlighted the need for more investment and innovation in hybrid-electric propulsion systems, emphasising the critical importance of these solutions in reaching net-zero.
Global industry collaboration needed to make 2050 net zero a reality Ascendance has established partnerships with all the major players in the aviation industry across the entire supply chain to accelerate the decarbonization of the sector. This includes forming technical and commercial partnerships, as well as participating in both European and international discussions to evolve regulations and meet significant goals.
Jean-Christophe comments: “No single company can effect the changes needed to meet aviation’s collective 2050 net zero goal. Collaboration - and disruption - across the entire ecosystem is needed.”
“Major players like Airbus, Boeing, Comac and their respective ecosystems are working hard to achieve the Holy Grail of the net zero aircraft. But, constrained by a heavy legacy, these players are struggling to engage in disruptive innovations. Without allowing disruption from new technologies, and collaborating at an industry-level, net-zero air travel will not be possible.”
Funding 2050, Jean-Christophe concludes: “Next year marks 25 years to 2050. If the industry is going to meet its ambitious, but achievable, net zero target, more investment is needed (...) Decarbonizing aviation requires innovations built with market-fit, and supported by extremely substantial financing. This is why, without a synergy between private investments - given the very high levels of financing required - and public investments - essential to support government strategic orientations - this long-awaited transformation will not be possible.”