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How do you see startups playing a crucial role in breaking through the limitations faced by major aircraft manufacturers and airlines ? Major players like Airbus ( European ), Boeing ( American ) and Comac ( Chinese ), and their respective ecosystems , are working hard to achieve the Holy Grail of the net-zero aircraft . But , constrained by heavy legacy , aircraft manufacturers are struggling to engage in disruptive innovations . Without allowing disruption from new technologies , net-zero air travel will not be possible .
Breakthroughs in sustainable aviation depend on new skills and tech - such as hybridelectric technology or hydrogen - that are new to everyone . By being native players in these fields , startups can progress faster than legacy players as they have the capability to iterate faster on prototypes - which is absolutely key when developing new technologies - and also don ’ t have the burden of legacy so can more easily think about clean-sheet designs ( new products designed right off the bat to take advantage of all the latest technologies ).
How are the solutions you ’ re developing at Ascendance for smaller aircraft setting the stage for larger aircraft decarbonization in the future ? Ascendance ’ s goal has always been to support the transition of aviation towards a more sustainable model . To do that , one needs a technology capable of scaling-up to large commercial aviation as we know it today . This technology is hybrid-electric , and we ’ ve taken this path with our core product : Sterna .
Sterna is a hybrid-electric propulsion system that can scale from drones - the smallest aircraft existing today , to eVTOL aircraft and up to commercial aviation . We already have a first contract on a drone hybridization , are currently developing the propulsion technology for aircraft from six to 80 seats and will fly our technology at scale for the first time on our eVTOL , Atea in 2025 .
Many established airlines and manufacturers are deeply reliant on fossil fuels . How can startups like Ascendance help break this dependence , and what kind of support or collaboration is needed from the legacy players in the industry ? Our hybrid-electric propulsion system , Sterna , combines electric batteries and internal combustion engines to optimize aircraft performance while reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 50 percent . The system works by leveraging the strengths of both electric and conventional propulsion , using electric power during takeoff and climb
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