A California startup, Ampaire, plans to begin test flights of a hybrid electric aircraft between Kahului and Hana. What and miss the Road to Hana? The locals are happy.
The prototype will be brought to Maui Fall 2019 and according to Ampaire’s president, Rob McKinney, “[Maui] would be the ideal launch customer for this technology with the length of route that we fly and the conditions that we fly in…we don’t have to contend with super cold weather.”
Bruce Nzeukou, product manager, said that the company would be retrofitting a Cessna 337 Skymaster for Maui. The aircraft will have one combustion engine in the front and an electrical motor in the back of the plane. Advantages for this type of aircraft are three-fold.
Financially, it costs between $300,000 to $400,000 to overhaul a combustion engine like the one Mokulele uses every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. An electric motor is not as complicated with only one moving part, so overhaul time is much longer.
Fuel is another consideration, less gasoline, less cost. Mr. Nzeukou estimates that fuel costs could be down between 50 to 70 percent.
Lastly, the locals in Hana are happy to avoid traffic on the highway and get home in time for family and Ohana time.
Posted on April 3, 2019 in Hawaii, Latest News, Lifestyle, Market Trends, Maui, Hana, Kahului, Kihei, Market Update, Maui, maui market update, Maui Real Estate