Elfly Group and H55 to bring B23 Energic to Nordic market
All-electric seaplane developer Elfly Group is to partner with electric propulsion technology company H55 to introduce the BRM Aero B23 Energic to the Nordic market.
Under the MoU, Elfly Group will acquire three units of the B23 Energic via the Founders’ Edition launch programme, with options for a further two aircraft. “Together with our new partners H55 and BRM, we aim to transform regional air mobility in the Nordics, ushering in cleaner, more efficient solutions to market,” explained Elfly Group CEO Eric Lithun.
Ahead of the first aircraft’s delivery in 2026 (facilitated by a strategic collaboration between Elfly Group, H55 and B23 manufacturers BRM Aero), a joint demonstration tour across Norway and other Nordic countries will commence from early 2025. Using an experimental aircraft (ahead of the certified units’ delivery), the partners will demonstrate the two-seat aircraft at “leading flight schools and pilot training academies,” offering pilots the opportunity to test the B23 Energic’s capabilities for themselves.
The appetite for electric trainers certainly seems to be growing, with Pipistrel’s Velis Electro the first ever type-certified, electric-powered aircraft, fully approved for pilot training in Day VFR operations in more than 30 countries. Earlier this month, French startup Aura Aero also made the inaugural first flight of its upcoming electric Integral E variant.
Established in 2009, Czech aircraft manufacturer BRM Aero currently offers seven models, with the B23 Energic the latest (and so far only all-electric) product offering. Ahead of expected EASA CS-23 certification (expected in 2025), the all-electric model went on sale in April 2024, priced at €400,000. The ROTAX-powered B23 airframe, already certified as a CS-23 aircraft, is also “a great trainer for any flight school,” said Bristell founder and CEO Milan Bristela.
With a maximum take-off weight of 850kg and a payload of 190kg, it is powered by an electric H55 motor, liquid cooled 49 kWh rechargeable lithium batteries (which require changing after approximately 1,500 cycles), and equipped with Garmin avionics. At MTOW, the aircraft offers an endurance of 60 minutes with 30 minutes reserve at cruise power.
This is Elfly Group’s first foray into aircraft distribution, with the Norwegian startup also developing its own clean-sheet, fully-electric amphibian, the Noemi, expected to enter service before the end of the decade.
