Dovetail Electric Aviation adopts Siemens Xcelerator

These propulsion systems, optimising circular economy principles, will be retrofitted into legacy airplanes used by regional airlines and for leisure and cargo flights, potentially reducing operating costs by up to 40% and significantly decarbonising air transportation.

Based in Australia, with operations in Spain, Dovetail is the only company globally converting Cessna 208s to zero-emission battery electric. It is also pioneering a hydrogen-electric retrofit for the Beechcraft King Air, the most successful aircraft in its category. Dovetail recently secured Scandinavian Seaplanes as a customer and boasts investors and financial supporters such as Regional Express (Australia), the Victorian Government (Australia), Air Nostrum (Iberia’s Regional airline, Spain), and Volotea (Spain).

Dovetail will utilise Siemens’ NX X software for Cloud-enabled computer-aided design (CAD) to develop propulsion systems and engines, fostering seamless collaborative workflows between its teams in Spain and Australia. This will allow Dovetail to transform digital twin design concepts and iterations into viable prototypes more swiftly, reducing time spent on design and rework.

“Whilst a lot has changed in the world of aviation, the fundamental structure of an aircraft hasn’t changed much. Therefore, it makes perfect business and sustainability sense to retrofit capable aircraft with new generation, zero emissions drivetrains that take a significant step towards cleaner air travel. This helps us collectively achieve net zero and saves costs. As we’ve grown, we’ve realized the need to invest in software that helps us create digital twins of the propulsion systems we design, is easily accessible worldwide and increases collaboration between our design teams in Australia and Spain. Siemens’ software is at the heart of our ability to deliver zero emissions air travel, whilst enabling aircraft operators to reduce operating costs by up to 40%,” said David Doral, CEO of Dovetail Electric Aviation.

In addition to launching a battery-electric propulsion concept, Dovetail is also developing a hydrogen-electric version, which includes a fuel cell and hydrogen storage system. NX X will aid Dovetail in efficiently editing and viewing complex design models, expediting product development, and effectively managing the design process by creating a digital thread, providing a single source of truth throughout the design process.

“Digital twins are vital when designing mission critical final products such as race cars, racing yachts, ships, space satellites and now, alternative aircraft propulsion systems. Our software has a great history and heritage of helping various companies push the boundaries and go beyond frontiers,” said Samantha Murray, Managing Director, Siemens Digital Industries Software, Australia and New Zealand. “It’s great to now be part of Dovetail’s journey as they use technology and innovation to address the biggest challenge of our time, climate change. We talk about the importance of circular economy in economic and environmental sustainability and here’s a great example of a company achieving just that using our software.”