Everett-based magniX unveils aircraft it plans to make hybrid

EVERETT — Electric aviation company magniX unveiled a turboprop-powered demonstrator plane Thursday in Seattle that it plans to turn hyrbid.

The Everett company ultimately will replace two of the four turbine engines on the aircraft, a De Havilland DHC-7, with electric powertrains by the Everett company.

The project is a collaboration between magniX, NASA and Yellowknife-based Air Tindi. The work is part of the NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration Program.

Plans call for magniX to replace one of the aircraft’s four engines with an electric powertrain, with test flights planned for 2026. In the next phase, a second powertrain will replace another one of the engines. Fuel consumption is expected to be reduced by 40% with the new engine configuration, a magniX press release said.

“As EPFD makes outstanding progress, magniX and NASA are proving the feasibility of electric propulsion for commercial flight,” Reed Macdonald, CEO of magniX, said in a company press release. “Integrating our game-changing electric powertrains into a regional airliner such as the Dash 7 represents a major step forward in bringing electric solutions into the business of aviation.”

It has been a busy year for magniX. In February, the company successfully completed a design review on the retrofit. Employees tested the electric engine in April and completed baseline flights for the aircraft prior to retrofits in June.

The DHC-7, more commonly known as the Dash 7, was first built in 1975 and has been in continuous operation by military and civilian airlines over the past five decades. It is known for its ability to land and take off on very short runways.

“We at NASA are excited about EPFD’s potential to make aviation sustainable and more accessible to more U.S. communities,” Robert A. Pearce, associate administrator for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, said in a press release. “Hybrid electric propulsion on a megawatt scale accelerates U.S. progress toward its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, benefiting all who rely on air transportation every day.”

Earlier this year, magniX and Harbour Air, a seaplane company, completed an agreement for the airline to buy 50 electric engines. magniX moved to Everett in 2021.

“magniX and NASA are demonstrating that sustainable flight can be realized with technology that we have available today,” Ben Loxton, magniX’s VP of EPFD and Electric Storage Systems said in a press release. “The EPFD program is accelerating its readiness for entry into service, prioritizing safety and the highest standards of performance.”

Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.