Posted on 05/06/2026 7:45:38 PM PDT by Red Badger
The 121 lb air-cooled motor is part of a full electric powertrain and is targeted for flight training, recreational aviation, and future eVTOL applications.
An artist's render of the modified RV-10 that will use a magniAIR motor. MagniX
Washington state-based MagniX has introduced the MagniAIR, its first electric aircraft engine developed specifically for general aviation (GA) airframes.
The company designed the zero-emission, air-cooled motor for applications currently served by 120- to 175-kilowatt piston engines. These include flight training and recreational flying.
The engine weighs 55 kilograms (about 121 lb) and delivers up to 175 kW, giving it what MagniX describes as a class-leading power-to-weight ratio. The company plans to make the MagniAIR available for purchase in 2027.
MagniAIR motor to reduce fuel consumption, operating costs The MagniAIR forms part of a complete powertrain that includes power electronics and proprietary Samson battery packs. In a statement released earlier this month, company officials claimed the engine was devised in response to rising costs in general aviation.
Ben Loxton, vice president of new product development at MagniX, noted that many training aircraft in use today date back to the 1970s. “Fuel prices and maintenance costs are causing the cost of flight training to rise at the same time as the industry faces an acute shortage of pilots,” he said.
MagniX is working to integrate the MagniAIR into a Van’s RV-10 kit plane as part of a full-electric powertrain. In flight tests, the company aims to demonstrate lower operating costs through reduced fuel consumption and simpler maintenance compared with traditional piston engines. The modified aircraft is scheduled to fly later in 2026, and it will be on display at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida.
Reed Macdonald, CEO of MagniX, emphasized the MagniAIR’s versatility, stating it “can be used for any application currently powered by a 120-to-175-kilowatt piston engine.”
The MagniAIR motor is also designed to fit light-sport aircraft under the FAA’s Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule. Potential additional uses include defense applications and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) platforms.
The certification challenge
Certification remains a key hurdle in the US. In 2021, the FAA issued special conditions for MagniX’s earlier engines, but has yet to grant the company crucial Part 33 type certification. As a report from Flying Mag pointed out, MagniX and ZeroAvia are the only companies with active FAA certification projects for electric aircraft engines.
In Europe, things are moving a little faster. In 2020, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified Pipistrel’s E-811 engine in 2020, as well as Safran’s ENGINeUS 100 last year.
The launch of MagniAir adds to MagniX’s broader portfolio in electric and hybrid-electric propulsion. The firm, known for its Magni350 and Magni650 engines, launched the HeliStorm for helicopters in 2025.
It holds partnerships with Robinson Helicopter on a battery-electric R66 demonstrator, with NASA on a hybrid-electric De Havilland Dash 7 retrofit, and with DeltaHawk Engines on a US Air Force hybrid-electric powerplant project.
I’d never get near one...
Gasoline is about 8 pounds per gallon, so your car has 120 pounds of gas when full. The LI battery in a Tesla is over 1000 pounds all the time. Other than that electric planes are a fantastic idea. I’m starting my own electric plane company. I will be CEO and make $1mm per year. I just need some investors. Please send money.
Chicken.
Not an outright lie, but certainly an obfuscation. The electric motor might be zero emission, but the power system certainly isn't. Unless the battery gets recharged by unicorn flatulence.
Diesel (jet fuel) is 6.8 lb/gal, but it contains significantly more energy per unit mass; the energy density of jet fuel, on a per-weight basis, is almost identical to that of avgas.
Otherwise, I agree with your sentiments, irony included.
Even the best currently available lithium-ion batteries only have about 3% the energy density of aviation fuel. Of course, electric motors are much more efficient than internal combustion engines. If we assume 33% thermodynamic efficiency of small piston aircraft engines (a high estimate, but do-able) compared to something better than 90% for electric motors, we can triple that 3% energy density estimate; that puts the net recoverable shaft-power energy density for lithium batteries at about 9% of that provided by hydrocarbon fuel.
So yeah. I think the people behind this aircraft investment are engaged wishful thinking, at least for the next decade or so.
235 H.P makes VW owners proud.
Where do you suppose they are getting their magnets now? Investors beware...the Chinese have a fully integrated magnet supply chain, and they control ours as well, to include all rare earth magnets. You pay their price for their products, or you go without. We are in Year 2 of the great magnet hiatus in the US.
Major magnet manufacturers in the USA include Arnold Magnetic Technologies (industrial/permanent), MP Materials (rare earth), Niron Magnetics (rare-earth-free), and Magnum Magnetics (flexible magnets). These companies, along with others like K&J Magnetics and USA Rare Earth, serve sectors including automotive, defense, and electronics, with growing domestic production focusing on reducing reliance on overseas supply chains.
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