Nº 40 – 100 new jobs created by the aviation industry
The future of electric aviation

Saturday, June 20th, 2020

Do you still remember the first round-the-world flight of SOLARIMPULSE 2, the electric plane? In 2016, ECO123 wrote an exclusive report on this event. We interviewed the pilot after he had crossed the Atlantic, returned to Europe and landed in the Algarve. SOLARIMPULSE 2 covered 40,000 km and had permission to fly over densely-populated areas. The Swiss pilot duo, André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, are down in history as pioneers of electric aviation. They took advantage of solar energy, flying the entirety of the journey without fossil fuels and, therefore, without generating emissions. SOLARIMPULSE 2 flew for five consecutive days using electrical energy to travel from Japan to Hawaii. (https://solarimpulse.com/eng)

This project, which was established in the same year as ECO123, will now enter its second phase with commercial objectives in mind. Up until now, the SOLARIMPULSE mission was to increase awareness around conserving the planet’s energy resources, a mission which also entails the introduction of cleaner and more efficient technologies.

Aircraft with electric motors offer new solutions for urban mobility, such as flying taxis for those travelling short distances. Worldwide, there are more than 100 projects underway which aim to make aviation compatible with everyday life. Among these are projects creating aircraft capable of take-off and landing, and planes which could carry four to eight passengers between cities.

These new aviation solutions are cleaner, quieter and can be constructed with existing technologies. The biggest challenge facing these projects is not in constructing and using these prototypes, but in obtaining certification. The route from obtaining provisional certification to permanent certification is long. This is where the competence, experience and solutions of young Swiss company H55 come in.

Jobs for highly-qualified candidates

The objective is to guarantee a plane that is quiet, clean and efficient – economically viable and requiring little maintenance – while being flexible and versatile. Last year, André Borschberg – alongside his team that analysed in detail his flight around the world – created the company H55 in order to meet this objective. The company’s headquarters are at Sitten Airport in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, around a two-hour drive from Geneva. This is where they develop new technology and intend to take on 50 to 100 new employees to assist with constructing the prototypes, carrying out tests required for certification and setting up the initial phase of production. The first electric motors will be available from the beginning of 2022. The canton of Valais guarantees an investment of 5 million Swiss francs.

And this forward-looking canton has also invested 25 million Swiss francs in a new industrial park which focuses on innovative technology and will be completed in 2022. The objective of this scientific and economic project is to create space for offices, laboratories and production lines. H55 will not be the only company here; Natron Energy, a Californian start-up, will also set itself up in the area and develop batteries with Berliner Blau electrodes. H55 and Natron Energy are both working hard on developing technology which involves renewable energies, the focus for innovation in this industrial park.

Anyone who wants to apply as an engineer, a mechanic or a programmer at H55 will have to master both English and French, combining technical skills with a creative and innovative spirit. ECO123 recommends that written applications and CVs be sent to murielle.ramuz@h55.ch, even from those who have recently finished studying

H55 S.A. • Gregory Blatt (Business Development) • Route Chandoline 25E • 1950 Sion • Switzerland • gregory.blatt@h55.ch • Telefon +s41 79 821 1929