DANX Carousel Collaborates with ELECTRON on Electric Freighter Initiative

DANX Carousel has invested in aircraft manufacturer ELECTRON as the company looks to develop an electric freighter.

The Electron 5 aircraft is designed to transport 500 kg of cargo around 500 km on a single battery charge and can achieve speeds of up to 300km per hour.

“With its requirement for relatively short runways, the Electron 5 provides access to five times more European Union (EU) airports compared to larger freight aircraft used today, enabling cargo to be flown directly on the shortest point-to-point route and bypassing congested logistics hubs,” the two companies said in a press release.

The aircraft is due to hit the market in 2027, with Carousel aiming to add them to their fleet within the next five years.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

DANX Carousel group chief solutions officer Lars Ryssel said: “The ability to launch and land closer to our pick-up and delivery points will cut down on journey lengths, allowing us to offer customers later cut-off times and better serve hard-to-reach areas.

“Moving away from the traditional hub-and-spoke distribution of air cargo to a point-to-point model means we can avoid congestion at busy airports.

“Based on our analysis, we believe that small planes are set to outperform conventional aircraft fuelled by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and hybrid aircraft in cost per kilogram, transit time, and carbon emissions.”

DANX Carousel sustainability director Val Karren added that the plane will emit zero emissions while in the air, but the shorter ground deliveries due to use of regional hubs will also cut down on truck emissions.

The company has the ambition to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2035 and is also trailing the use of electric vehicles.

Marc-Henry de Jong, chief commercial operator, chief operations officer and co-founder of ELECTRON aerospace, said: “The expertise of DANX Carousel’s exceptional team is instrumental in ensuring the Electron 5 is well equipped to transport a wide range of cargo, including loose goods like e-commerce parcels and odd-size goods resting on EU palettes.”

DANX Carousel was involved in the freighter design of the Electron 5 model, advising on how to best adapt the aircraft to transport freight.