Domestic aviation batteries obtain "dual certifications", and mass production of Zero Gravity's electric aircraft speeds up | The Frontline

36Kr learned that on August 18th, Zero Gravity Aircraft Industry (hereinafter referred to as "Zero Gravity") and Zenith Power New Energy officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement on aviation energy systems. The aviation batteries for the Ruixiang RX1E series of electric fixed - wing aircraft, exclusively supplied by Zenith Power New Energy, obtained the airworthiness certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China along with the whole aircraft, and officially started batch delivery.

Release of strategic cooperation

Zero Gravity is an enterprise that 36Kr has been following for a long time. Its core business is the R & D and manufacturing of new - energy aircraft. Since its establishment, it has simultaneously planned the R & D of three types of products: the electric fixed - wing aircraft RX1E - A "Ruixiang", the multi - rotor eVTOL product ZG - ONE "Quefei", and the tilt - rotor eVTOL product ZG - T6.

This strategic cooperation focuses on Zero Gravity's Ruixiang RX1E - A.

As the first domestic electric light - sport aircraft with complete independent intellectual property rights, the Ruixiang RX1E - A was developed under the leadership of Academician Yang Fengtian, an expert in aircraft overall design, and 100% of its core components are domestically produced. In terms of specific performance indicators, the Ruixiang RX1E - A has a maximum range of 280 km, a cruising speed of 120 km/h, a flight endurance of 150 minutes, and can achieve a quick battery swap in 5 minutes, meeting the needs of primary pilot training and experience flights.

The aviation battery of Zenith Power New Energy installed on the Ruixiang RX1E - A is currently the only domestic power battery with "dual certifications", having obtained the AS9100D aerospace quality management system certification and the aviation battery airworthiness certification. It features high energy density, high safety, high rate, and fast charging. In terms of performance indicators, the energy density of this battery is 320 Wh/kg, and it can be charged to 80% within 15 minutes. Even at a 20% low - battery state, it can still maintain a high - rate discharge of 12C, which not only improves the aircraft's endurance and power stability but also ensures safety through a thermoelectric separation structure and distributed redundant design.

This strategic cooperation between the two parties will undoubtedly further accelerate the mass production and commercialization process of the Ruixiang RX1E - A.

It is reported that the Ruixiang RX1E - A has currently received over a hundred confirmed orders and more than a thousand intended orders. The improvement of mass - production capacity and the stability of order delivery will also push Zero Gravity into the stage of large - scale operation.

In addition to the Ruixiang RX1E - A, according to the plan, Zero Gravity and Zenith Power New Energy will also conduct in - depth cooperation on more aircraft models such as eVTOL in the future based on the existing cooperation.

Moreover, at the press conference, Zero Gravity also announced a cooperation relationship with Zenith Power New Energy and the Liaoning General Aviation Research Institute. The three parties will take the RX1E series of electric fixed - wing aircraft as the core carrier to jointly promote the application of domestic three - electric systems (battery, motor, and electronic control) in aviation scenarios.