Developer will use modified Rotax 912 ULS piston engine as heart of hybrid-electric system.
Czech Republic-based vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft developer Zuri has picked Norwegian firm EdgePerformance to supply the thermal engine that forms the core of the hybrid-electric powertrain for its Technology Demonstrator (TD) 2.0 vehicle.
EdgePerformance takes a stock Rotax 912 ULS piston engine and strips it down before modifying it – including a new camshaft, pistons and cylinders, plus a direct-drive power take-off shaft – better equipping it for its new role: driving a generator to provide power for the TD2.0’s eight electric motors.
Those modifications also up the 57kg (125lb) unit’s output, raising it from 100shp (73kW) to 125shp.
Zuri has already received the engine from EdgePerformance and has run it at idle at its Prague headquarters. Those tests confirmed the initial engine performance and “the oil and water cooling Zuri designed for it holds, and the sensors feeding its controller read correctly”, the Czech firm says.
It will shortly undergo power and thermal tests at a dedicated facility, Zuri says.
Running on E85 fuel – 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline – the engine is expected to generate 20-30% less heat than if run on standard gasoline.
Once the thermal data is confirmed, Zuri will modify the cooling system and the fuselage to deliver the required airflow, and finish integrating the generator with the required control units.
Zuri aims to fly the TD2.0 in the second quarter of 2027.
The TD2.0 tiltrotor forms the basis of Zuri’s first commercial product: a long-range VTOL uncrewed cargo aircraft capable of carrying 115kg of payload across a 367nm (680km) design range.
Zuri says it is hopeful EdgePerformance will also supply the engines for the production aircraft but has yet to confirm the deal.
This story has been updated with additional information in the final paragraph.
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