Scandinavian aircraft manufacturer enters race to claim Air Race E title

Norway’s pioneers in electric aviation, Equator Aircraft, have joined the world’s first electric air race, Air Race E.

The group, best known for developing the world’s first electric seaplane in 2018, is made up of founder and CEO Tomas Brødreskift, pilot Rein Inge Hoff, chief designer Brødreskift, and team leader Øystein Solheim-Aune. The Norwegian race team is called Electric Aircraft Propulsion AS (EAP).

EAP enters Air Race E as the only Scandinavian team in what is now a field of 10 teams from around the globe preparing to compete in the inaugural race in 2021.

“The Air Race E initiative is a great opportunity to continue our work in electric aviation,” said Brodreskift. “The race environment allows us to explore the extreme performance characteristics of our electric powertrain, as we push the components to their utmost limits in a safe environment. Lessons from the championship will be transferred to the factory to improve the performance and design of our electric consumer based sea planes.”

Jarlsberg Airport, 100km southwest of Oslo, will serve as the team’s base where EAP plans to modify an existing Cassutt IIIM, and retrofit it with a novel electric powertrain.

Air Race E events will see eight planes fly simultaneously around a tight 5km circuit at just 10m above the ground and at speeds of up to 450kph, according to officials.

The series is widely considered a test-bed for electric aircraft technology to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation, according to organizers.