California company to buy up to 150 planes from Textron, convert to hybrid-electric

Surf Air Mobility Inc. plans to purchase up to 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprop planes from Textron Aviation and replace their engines with hybrid-electric propulsion systems.

The California-based company’s initial order is for 100 planes with an option for 50 more, according to a Tuesday news release.

Surf Air Mobility will begin replacing Cessna’s Pratt & Whitney turbine engines with a propulsion system of their own design in 2024.

“Hybrid electric propulsion technology, deployed at scale for environmental and commercial benefits, is an important part of the future of travel,” Textron Aviation President and CEO Ron Draper said in the release.

According to Aviation International News, the hybrid-electric propulsion system will rely on a turbo-generator to charge batteries that run an electric motor-driven propeller.

Textron anticipates that deliveries of the Cessna planes will begin in the second quarter of 2022. The cost of the transaction has not been announced, but the release states that the deal is “subject to Surf Air Mobility obtaining financing.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 10:40 AM.