Safran partnership announcement makes waves in aviation media
9 October, 2023
On September 13th, 2023, Safran Electrical & Power announced a collaboration agreement with Cuberg for industrial, technical and commercial cooperation to jointly develop an aviation energy storage system for future full electric and hybrid aircraft.
Pictured, from left to right: Jean-Francois Rideau, Program Manager at Safran Electrical & Power; Stéphane Cueille, CEO of Safran Electrical & Power; Richard Wang, CEO and Founder of Cuberg; Reza Nikfar, COO of Cuberg; Anne Torricelli, Head of Business Development at Cuberg; Florent Nierlich, Technical Director at Safran Electrical & Power, and; Florent Illat, Director General at Safran Corporate Ventures. Photo credit: Cuberg.
Safran Electrical & Power is one of the world's leaders in aircraft electrical systems. The company is a key player in equipment electrification and in the electric and hybrid propulsion sector and has 11,500 employees across 13 different countries.
The significance of this announcement was immediately evident to business, science and aviation media outlets. Safran’s intent to develop energy storage systems with Cuberg, a growing Silicon Valley startup, is a powerful endorsement of the California company’s technology and strategy.
Read on to learn more about how this announcement was covered by media organizations worldwide.
The Air Current: Safran and Cuberg bet on the future with a traditional business model by Elan Head.
Most of today’s leading manufacturers of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft have invested heavily in developing proprietary electric motor and battery technology. Even Archer Aviation, which has chosen to outsource 90% of its aircraft subsystems, is keeping powertrain development in-house. However, a new agreement between Safran and Cuberg reflects an expectation that this early industry strategy of vertical integration will become less popular as the electric aircraft market continues to evolve and scale.
FlightGlobal: Cuberg CEO outlines battery developer’s plan to enable short-haul electric flights by Howard Hardee.
Previously flying somewhat under the radar, California battery developer Cuberg is now signalling its intentions to be a difference-maker in the electric aviation industry.
Aviation Week: Safran, Cuberg Team On Advanced Batteries For Electric Aviation by Graham Warwick.
Safran’s electric propulsion division has teamed with Cuberg to jointly develop aircraft energy storage systems based on the company’s high-energy lithium-metal batteries. Safran Electrical & Power is already developing electric propulsion units, turbogenerators and power distribution systems.
Aerotime News: Safran and Northvolt’s Cuberg to develop Lithium-metal batteries for aircraft by Miquel Ros.
The Lithium-Metal technology being pioneered by Cuberg is seen as a promising path in the quest to increase the energy density of batteries up to a point that enables larger and longer-range electric aircraft to fly.
Pictured: Bruno Bellanger, Vice President & General Manager of Power division, Safran Electrical & Power (left) and Richard Wang, CEO and Founder of Cuberg (right).
Additional coverage came from Vertical Mag, Advanced Air Mobility International, ,eVTOL Insights, Energyportal.EU and a follow-up article by The Air Current, among others.
Cuberg also appeared in French-language media, including leading newspaper Le Figaro and aviation outlet Actu Aero.