H55 is accelerating its international activities through the support of the Canadian government in the development of its Canadian subsidiary, H55 Canada Inc.

The Swiss-based company H55 S.A. is pleased to announce the support of Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED). This contribution will fast track H55’s global expansion, positioning the company to meet the increasing demand for its clean aviation applications in the North American market. H55’s presence in Canada will include customer technology development, manufacturing, and customer support.

As part of its international expansion plans and being able to respond to a growing North American customer base, H55 has established a fully owned subsidiary in Canada, H55 Inc. Located in the greater Montreal area, H55 Canada will serve and work closely alongside its existing customer base --- Pratt & Whitney Canada, CAE and Harbour Air --- in terms of development, customization, and customer support. A manufacturing facility is in the process of being secured, with the first battery packs production beginning in 2024.

H55 is one of the leading enablers in clean aviation, with its electric propulsion and battery systems being used in a wide variety of applications. The company’s strengths and competencies lie in developing propulsion and energy solutions which are modular, lightweight, and certifiable. The team has a proven ability in developing, producing, integrating, and flight-testing electric propulsion systems, including Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered electric airplane to fly around the world.

H55’s mission in developing electric propulsion solutions to enable the aviation industry to reach net zero CO2 by 2050 fits perfectly well with CED through the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative (ARRI). Current activities are aimed at promoting the development and adoption of clean mobility solutions. The program is intended to help the Canadian aerospace sector emerge from the pandemic with the capacity to compete on the global stage, with three specific objectives: to facilitate environmentally sustainable practices; to improve productivity; and to strengthen commercialization while furthering integration into regional and global supply chains.

H55 has been active in Canada since 2021, working with H55 Canadian customers including:

• Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) selected H55 in 2022 to provide battery systems for the company’s regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator. H55’s collaboration with P&WC was followed by an investment in H55 by RTX Ventures, the venture capital arm of Raytheon Technologies, the parent company of P&WC.
• H55 is committed to providing CAE with the energy storage and management system for CAE’s Piper Archer® electric aircraft modification program. H55 is designing and manufacturing the aircraft battery system to support CAE’s effort to convert its Piper Archer® training fleet and CAE’s desire to make this conversion kit commercially available to other Piper Archer® operators.
• The company announced in 2021 a partnership with Harbour Air, North America’s largest seaplane operator, to produce highly efficient battery packs for the first electric Beaver (eBeaver) commuter airplane through a supplemental type certificate (STC) program.

Commenting on CED’s support, André Borschberg, H55’s Co-Founder and Executive Chairman stated, “Having CED as a partner is an important validation of our experience coming from a major global aerospace cluster. Being present in Canada is a first step in building out our North America presence. There is a strategic fit with Canada given the country’s leading competitive position in the aviation sector and its commitment to sustainable aviation. CED’s commitment in supporting H55 illustrates a shared vision in making air transportation quiet, clean, and affordable. All the prerequisites for a successful partnership are in place”.

Aerospace is a pillar of the economy and of innovation in Canada. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting businesses within Canada’s aerospace sector by supporting efforts in developing a sustainable aviation industry and positioning the country as a leading global player in reducing aviation carbon emissions.

“Our government has made concrete commitments to demonstrate that a strong economy and a healthy environment go hand in hand. Among other things, we are making strategic investments in clean technologies, a priority in our economic recovery plan. As Minister responsible for CED, I am proud to be able to announce that CED is supporting the launch of H55 Canada Inc. in Quebec. By leveraging innovative projects such as this one, which is boosting the development and adoption of sustainable propulsion in the aeronautics sector, we are investing in the greater well-being of future generations,” said the Honorable Pascale St-Onge, Member of Parliament for Brome–Missisquoi and Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED.

Being present in Canada will offer many opportunities for H55 to collaborate with companies and research institutions who are part of a dynamic aviation eco-system and who are all committed, as with H55, in demonstrating the advantages of adopting sustainable technologies which are more efficient and cost effective. H55 would like to formally express its gratitude to the Honorable Pascale St-Onge and to the entire CED team, as their support will further bring H55 to the forefront of state-of-the-art clean aviation mobility solutions.