Every month we interview a promising startup or scale-up in the climate & energy tech ecosystem and ask them our 10 questions. With our platform (ZERO), we want to put these bold innovators on a pedestal and introduce them to our audience. Do you want to connect with this startup/scale-up, feel free to contact us at info@platformzero.co!
The start-up Maeve Aerospace (formerly known as Venturi Aviation) has secured an investment of €3.4 million to enter the market within a few years. Zero emission flying, for many of us, is the ultimate dream. To be able to travel far and fast without polluting our environment must feel incredible. In our interview, you can read the inspiring answers of Co-Founder Joost Dieben, who is in charge of the technical masterplan. And we had the opportunity to present our ten questions to them!
Maeve Aerospace is a Delft-based start-up with a mission to enable 100% sustainable regional air travel and improve airline flight operating costs. To ensure zero-emission regional air travel, Maeve aims to deliver the world’s first all-electric zero-emission aircraft, seating 44 passengers with a flight range of 550 km. Supported by Maeve’s own ultra-high-speed Recharge Network, we guarantee competitive aircraft turnaround times. We believe that we can make aviation greener, simpler, and cheaper.
One-liner: Meave’s mission is to create aviation for a generation that wants to travel, not pollute.
Build the world’s first zero-emission regional aircraft by 2030 that has the potential to tackle up to 9% of all global aviation CO2 emissions (~89MT CO2) and with an approved operational business model for airliners.
At Maeve, we have the mission to design, build and commercialise our all-electric regional aircraft, including the Recharge infrastructure. Completed our extensive feasibility in 2021, Maeve’s team are now fully geared towards finalising its aviation-grade battery pack in H2 2023, followed by performance testing of its battery, powertrain, and airframe by means of multiple subscale demonstrators planned for 2024-’26. Finalising its full-scale flying compliance demonstrator and achieving aircraft type approval in 2029, commercialisation will start.
The Maeve team consists of a set of domain experts with a similar sense of purpose; making air travel sustainable. Furthermore, all the team members know that the current conventional development methods and processes dictated by the aviation incumbents will not result in a radical, game-changing solution for our climate challenge. Which we all know is required. Therefore I could say that, we all are adamant about fixing aviation and challenging the status quo if needed.
Please see the above answers. This is a fundamental (priority) in our business plan. Depending on who you ask, the climate challenge in front of us is most likely already over its reflection/turning point, making radical decisions and innovations the only option.
The aviation sector is extremely conventional and is dominated by a duopoly that currently has no business motives to change for the climate challenge. Therefore new players should be nurtured and groomed to come up with radical solutions. In order to do so, local and regional governments (i.e. EU) should show commitment by increasing investments in new innovators. Governments should provide incentives for OEMs, suppliers, airlines and airports willing to take a business risk for sustainable (and initially underperforming) alternatives by means of subsidies or taxing aviation fuels, reducing slot tax for sustainable flights or increasing price and rules of aviation carbon emissions. Finally, governments should support the development of innovators by providing support in the regulations concerning experimental development and testing.
Closing a €3.4mln Series A investment (second investment) on time and at the expected price point. Completing a detailed feasibility study. Growing the team to 15FTE and very soon Q2 to the planned 24FTE.
Sufficient financial backing from the government(s) and Investors. This i.c.w. an impending recession. Finding and acquiring skilled employees. Certification regulations for electric aviation which is under development by the regulators and thus changing.
Lightyear, Heart Aerospace, Saluqi Motors
Enthousiastic about Maeve Aerospace or do you want to connect with Joost? Contact us at info@platformzero.co and we will bring you in touch!
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