DOCKLANDS, Australia - Dovetail Electric Aviation in Docklands, Australia needed software to aid the development of battery and hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for commercial aircraft. They found their Siemens Digital Industries Software in Plano, Texas. The propulsion systems, designed with Siemens' Xcelerator software, will be retrofitted into existing airplanes used by regional airlines and leisure and cargo flights.
Dovetail is converting Cessna 208s into zero-emission battery-electric aircraft and developing a hydrogen-electric retrofit for the Beechcraft King Air. Dovetail recently signed Scandinavian Seaplanes as a customer and has financial backing from Regional Express, the Victorian Government, Air Nostrum, and Volotea.
The NX X software for cloud-enabled computer-aided design (CAD) will assist Dovetail in developing propulsion systems and engines, enabling collaboration between teams in Spain and Australia. This technology allows Dovetail to turn digital twin design concepts into prototypes more quickly, saving time in 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.
Dovetail is also developing a hydrogen-electric version, including a fuel cell and hydrogen storage system. NX X will allow Dovetail to edit and view complex design models, speed up product development, and manage the design process through a digital thread.
“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.”
