World first OEM-independent electric airplane charger to be approved by EASA

SKYCHARGE, powered by Green Motion and Pipistrel, has just become the world’s first OEM - independent electric plane charger to be approved by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The news comes after Pipistrel’s Velis Electro aircraft received the first ever type certificate for an electric plane from EASA in June last year. The SKYCHARGE approval is another important milestone in the quest for environmentally sustainable aviation.

SKYCHARGE is built on Eaton’s proprietary DC charging technology, bringing unrivalled conversion efficiency (higher than 96%), footprint, and power density charging infrastructure to electric planes and eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft.
The charger is available either as a fixed version on a stand or with wheels for mobility. The SKYCHARGE mobile version powers both electric planes (via GB/T charger plug) and cars (via either CCS or CHAdeMO plug), without installation costs because the charger can easily be connected to an existing CEE socket.

SKYCHARGE is also the first charging station for electric airplanes with smart grid functionalities, being Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) ready.

François Randin, Founder and CEO of Green Motion, which is now part of Eaton, said: “SKYCHARGE is the result of the partnership between Pipistrel and Green Motion – two companies with revolutionary ideas and cutting-edge solutions. By putting our world-class engineering teams together to shape and define the future of electric planes, we seek to deliver the best flying experience and significantly reduce the cost of flying, as well as air and noise pollution.”

Eaton and Pipistrel are members of SAE International’s AE-7D Aircraft Energy Storage and Charging Committee, which enables them to participate actively in the setup of an internationally accepted aerospace standard in e-flight charging.