Norway’s Elfly Group has revealed the latest design of its all-electric seaplane at an event in Oslo.
Elfly’s NoEmi is a 9-seat seaplane with a 170km (105 mile) range, a top speed of 250km/h (155mph) and a non-pressurized cabin. The battery-electric aircraft will be powered by two electric motors with up to 1MW combined output.
The Noemi’s design is inspired by the de Havilland Twin Otter for the top half and Grumman’s Mallard for the bottom half. It will also feature a large cargo door and its cabin will be fully accessible for wheelchair users.
Elfly, which was founded in 2018 has 14 employees including members of the team that developed the world’s first all-electric seaplane the P2, and the e-racing plane for the Nordic Racing Team.
The company has so far flown a 20% scale prototype and worked with the Norwegian research institute SINTEF to prove and refine the design of the hull. It plans to fly a full-size manned prototype in 2025 and for the aircraft to enter service in 2030.
Elfly also intends to operate the first 15 seaplanes itself along the west coast of Norway by 2030.
Eric Lithun, CEO of Elfly said, “We decided to do this product in Norway instead of waiting around for a foreign company to build planes that we would use here for us. Our goal is to bring innovation to the whole supply chain and make the process as seamless as possible.”
Noemi’s €20 million development is being funded by private investment and grants from the Norwegian Government.
Noemi will be certified at CS23 Level 4, which will enable it to be developed further to seat up to 19-passengers. The aircraft is being offered in three cabin layouts: a business/executive and VIP cabin, a tourist and commuter model with 13 seats and a cargo / medevac version.
