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H55
Founded2017
FounderAndré Borschberg, Sébastien Demont, and Gregory Blatt.
Headquarters
Sion
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Aymeric Sallin, Martin Larose and Andy Sheehan.
ProductsElectric Propulsion System Battery System
Websitehttps://h55.ch/en/

H55 is a Swiss company that produces electric propulsion systems for the aviation industry. The company is a spin-off of the Solar Impulse project. André Borschberg, a former pilot for the project, is a co-founder. The company is headquartered in Sion, Switzerland.[1]

History

[edit]

The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Sion, Switzerland.[1][2] It's founders are André Borschberg, Sébastien Demont, and Gregory Blatt.[3] H55 has locations in Toulouse, France, and Montreal, Canada.[3]

The company's main product, a battery system, was approved by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in early 2024.[4][5]

In April 2021 it partnered with Harbour Air, a Richmond, British Columbia based seaplane operator.[2][6][7] Harbour Air is converting de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers to run on electricity, using H55 batteries.[8][7][9]

In 2022 H55 agreed to supply battery systems for a Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program.[6][10][11] The project intends to convert a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 to be hybrid-electric, aiming for a 30% improvement in fuel efficiency.[12] Other partners include: Collins Aerospace; De Havilland Canada; the Canadian government’s National Research Council Canada (NRC); and the Quebec government’s Innovative Vehicle Institute (IVI). CAE and Piper Aircraft selected H55 to provide the battery for the electric conversion kit for the Piper Archer aircraft.[13][14][15]

In 2023, H55 expanded into Canada as H55 Canada Inc.[2] The company received a $10,000,000 interest-free loan from the Canadian government as part of the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative.[1][16] Investissement Québec, a provincial investment company, invested in H55.[17] The company planned to open a manufacturing facility in Greater Montréal with the investment to provide batteries and other products to the North American market.

H55 registered a company in Toulouse, France in December, 2023[18] to partner with Czech plane maker BRM Aero on an electric two-seater aircraft.[13] In 2025 H55 began demonstration flights of its B23 electric two-seat plane, based on the Bristell B23 ultralight.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Regions, Canada Economic Development for Quebec (2023-03-08). "Government of Canada invests in aeronautics sector's green transition by supporting launch of H55 Canada Inc". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  2. ^ a b c "Swiss clean aviation firm H55 creates Canadian subsidiary". sustainablebiz.ca. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  3. ^ a b "The H55 Story". H55. Archived from the original on 2025-01-03. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  4. ^ Oehrli, Pierre-Yves (2024-03-04). "H55's battery system receives approval from the EASA | GGBa". Greater Geneva Bern area. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  5. ^ "H55's Electric Propulsion System Approved by Authorities". www.halldale.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-14. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  6. ^ a b Dunn, Brian (March 9, 2023). "Canadian government to help Swiss battery provider H55 build facility in Quebec to support electric aviation". Skies Mag. Archived from the original on 2025-01-19. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  7. ^ a b Pawson, Chad (August 20, 2022). "Vancouver seaplane airline completes first point-to-point flight with prototype electric aircraft". CBC. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  8. ^ "Harbour Air signs first eBeaver sales agreement". Skies Mag. Archived from the original on 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  9. ^ "Harbour Air Leads The Way With All Electric Aircraft". www.airlineratings.com. Archived from the original on 2025-01-18. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  10. ^ "Pratt & Whitney Canada Selects H55 as Battery Technology Collaborator for Regional Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator Program". www.prattwhitney.com. May 19, 2022. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  11. ^ Cuenca, Oliver. "Pratt & Whitney recruit H55 to hybrid propulsion project". www.airmedandrescue.com. Archived from the original on 2024-10-06. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  12. ^ "Pratt & Whitney Canada selects H55 as battery technology collaborator for regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program". Military Aerospace. 2022-05-23. Archived from the original on 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  13. ^ a b "Aéronautique : H55 s'implante à Toulouse pour faire décoller l'aviation électrique". La Tribune (in French). 2023-07-20. Archived from the original on 2024-03-25. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  14. ^ "CAE launches Electric Aircraft Modification Program with Piper Aircraft Inc. – Canadian Aviation News". 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  15. ^ "Piper Aircraft Partners with CAE on Electric Aircraft Program | Piper Aircraft". www.piper.com. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  16. ^ Arsenault, Julien (2023-03-08). "Électrification de l'industrie aéronautique: L'entreprise suisse H55 se pose au Québec". La Presse (in Canadian French). Archived from the original on 2024-05-29. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  17. ^ "H55 Announces Investment From The Government Of Que. - Canadian Manufacturing". www.canadianmanufacturing.com. 2024-05-21. Archived from the original on 2024-06-16. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
  18. ^ "H55 FRANCE (H55) (H55)". annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  19. ^ H55 (March 27, 2025). "H55 FLIES 'ACROSS AMERICA' IN ITS ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT, THE B23 ENERGIC, CARRYING PASSENGERS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FUTURE OF ELECTRIC AVIATION--QUIET, ECONOMICAL, AND EMISSION-FREE". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2025-04-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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