Skellefteå. The next step in the development of electric aviation in Sweden is being taken here. A new charging station, the most powerful in the country, makes it possible to charge electric aircraft in Skellefteå.
Together with Northvolt, there are also plans for drone taxis to the battery factory.
It's striking how quiet it is when the two-seater electric plane taxis out of the airport in Skellefteå. An average moped is noisier.
”"You can really enjoy the view in this plane. It goes just right, it's quiet, it's a dream to fly for a pilot. I look forward to the day when it's possible to fly as far with an electric plane as a plane with a regular engine. Today we can manage an hour's flight," says Rickard Carlsson, pilot and Sweden's only flight instructor for electric planes when he invites Di on a test flight over forests and lakes in northern Västerbotten.
On Friday, it was inaugurated a new charging station for electric aircraft in Skellefteå. It is the strongest connection for electric aircraft in Sweden.
”"This facility is real. We have chosen to do something substantial. We have good conditions here. We have an airport, an energy company that the municipality owns and we have a battery factory with Northvolt and we have free airspace," says airport manager Robert Lindberg.
The idea is that the white transformer station and charging posts will become a hub for the development of electric aviation in Sweden. The day before Di and other media are visiting, a group of researchers from Luleå University of Technology, LTU, has been here to take a look. During the autumn, pilots will begin training in electric aircraft in Skellefteå.
”"We have tried to adapt it for airlines and testing operations. It should be easy to come here and try it out," says Robert Lindberg.
That the investment is made precisely in Skellefteå is largely due to the new industrialization that is taking place in the region. Battery manufacturer Northvolt is also involved in a corner of the collaboration. The company has a great need for good communications, and preferably green ones.
"We want to drive development. For us, aviation is an important means of transport if we are to manage the supply of skills to our region, but we want to do it fossil-free," says Robert Lindberg.
The initiative is one of several ongoing in electric aviation in Sweden. So far, there are only very small electric aircraft that are mainly used for training, but larger regional aircraft are under development. One player is the Swedish company Heart Aerospace, which has already received an order from the US for a 19-seat passenger plane.
Shorter regional flights are the niche where electric aircraft are expected to break through first.
”"So far, everything has gone a little faster than I thought. I believe that within just a few years we will be flying passenger aircraft in northern Sweden. I believe in interregional routes to start with, connecting regions, before it is time to fly longer distances," says Robert Lindberg.
What could it look like for Skellefteå?
”"Above all, I want a line to Gällivare, where Boliden has its large mine. Another important line is communication across the Gulf of Bothnia to Finland, where we otherwise have long transport distances," says Robert Lindberg.
The plans in Skellefteå do not stop at electric-powered aircraft. Together with Northvolt, they are looking at the possibility of flying people from the airport to Northvolt's factory in seven minutes. This will be done with a vertical take-off aircraft, a kind of drone with passengers.
”"It may sound like science fiction, but the technology already exists. We have received funding to develop a test route between Skellefteå Airport and Northvolt. Within not too many years we will have those vehicles here," says Robert Lindberg.
Source: di.se
