- News
- Mar 10, 2025
- 4 min read
Daher Plans to Launch a “More Electric” Aircraft in 2027
The company’s next model is likely to be a hybrid-electric aircraft derived from the TBM 960 or Kodiak 100/900.
Drawing on lessons from the EcoPulse demonstrator, Daher Aircraft is taking a pragmatic approach to the “more electric” aircraft that the manufacturer expects to launch in 2027. EcoPulse, a TBM 960 equipped with six electric motors on the leading edges of its wings, was not a commercial product—it was truly an engine and battery demonstrator. “What we are now envisioning as a commercial product is a more electric aircraft, probably hybrid-electric and derived from one of our existing aircraft models,” company CEO Nicolas Chabbert said, referring to the TBM 960 or Kodiak 100/900.
According to Chabbert, the company learned a great deal from EcoPulse’s 20 test flights. “We learned that we will have to rethink the aerodynamics of electric aircraft and also make changes to the user interface,” he said, specifically mentioning the control yoke and power levers. “We also need to clearly define the desired benefits, as well as the storage, distribution and use of electrical energy. Then comes certification.”
He is also disappointed with progress in battery technology. “We have not come even close to what they predicted 10 years ago,” he said, explaining that battery density had been expected to double by now but had increased by only 10%. “We tested a 360-kilogram battery on EcoPulse and did not get the performance we had hoped for, although we found ways to use the available power more efficiently. For comparison, a 360-kilogram battery is equivalent to approximately 10 kilograms [22 pounds; about 3.5 gallons] of Jet-A.”
Chabbert said Daher had surveyed customers about a more electrified aircraft, and the response was positive, with “no objections.” “Everything we do in this area must be as safe as—or safer than—the products we have today,” he noted. “We will also have to go back to the fundamentals of aerodynamics. Aircraft are a compromise between weight, power and handling qualities.
“We see more electricity as an aid,” Chabbert added. “We need to advance the technologies, and our overall goal is carbon neutrality rather than electricity. The final product must be fully accepted by our customers.”
Drawing on lessons from the EcoPulse demonstrator, Daher Aircraft is taking a pragmatic approach to the “more electric” aircraft that the manufacturer expects to launch in 2027. EcoPulse, a TBM 960 equipped with six electric motors on the leading edges of its wings, was not a commercial product—it was truly an engine and battery demonstrator. “What we are now envisioning as a commercial product is a more electric aircraft, probably hybrid-electric and derived from one of our existing aircraft models,” company CEO Nicolas Chabbert said, referring to the TBM 960 or Kodiak 100/900.
According to Chabbert, the company learned a great deal from EcoPulse’s 20 test flights. “We learned that we will have to rethink the aerodynamics of electric aircraft and also make changes to the user interface,” he said, specifically mentioning the control yoke and power levers. “We also need to clearly define the desired benefits, as well as the storage, distribution and use of electrical energy. Then comes certification.”
He is also disappointed with progress in battery technology. “We have not come even close to what they predicted 10 years ago,” he said, explaining that battery density had been expected to double by now but had increased by only 10%. “We tested a 360-kilogram battery on EcoPulse and did not get the performance we had hoped for, although we found ways to use the available power more efficiently. For comparison, a 360-kilogram battery is equivalent to approximately 10 kilograms [22 pounds; about 3.5 gallons] of Jet-A.”
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Chabbert said Daher had surveyed customers about a more electrified aircraft, and the response was positive, with “no objections.” “Everything we do in this area must be as safe as—or safer than—the products we have today,” he noted. “We will also have to go back to the fundamentals of aerodynamics. Aircraft are a compromise between weight, power and handling qualities.
“We see more electricity as an aid,” Chabbert added. “We need to advance the technologies, and our overall goal is carbon neutrality rather than electricity. The final product must be fully accepted by our customers.”
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