magniX ( ) is an electric motor and battery manufacturer wholly owned by Singapore investor Clermont Group. With products for use in aerospace and defense,2026, About us, Magnix the company is headquartered in Everett, Washington, United States, where it has a 40,000 square foot facility for R&D and manufacturing. The company's electric propulsion systems have been used in test flights for several aircraft, including a DHC-2 Beaver seaplane, the Eviation Alice, a de Havilland Dash 8 using a hydrogen fuel cell, a Robinson R44 helicopter,November 28, 2023, Thinkers: MagniX CTO Riona Armesmith geeks out over electric aviation, GeekWire and a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, among others.
History
2005-2018: Early years The company was established in 2005 in AustraliaAugust 6, 2020, founded in Aussie on brink of aviation breakthrough, Australian Times by Tony Guina, an inventor and entrepreneur. Originally named Guina Energy, it was founded2025, Story, magnix.aero as a research and development firm focused on electric motors.January 9, 2019, start up pushing switch to electric passenger planes, The Sydney Morning Herald In 2016 it became a fully owned subsidiary of the Clermont Group.
In 2017, the company was rebranded as magniX. magniX's original prototype electric motor, the magni5, was first successfully tested in 2017. By 2018, it could produce peak at 2,500 rpm at 95% efficiency with a dry mass motor, having a power density. The magni5 competed with the , Siemens SP260D for the Extra 330LE. In 2018, magniX moved its headquarters from Australia to the United States,June 28, 2018, of electric motors for aircraft plans Redmond HQ and engineering shop, The Seattle Times establishing an engineering facility in Redmond, Washington.
2018-2019: Early flight tests In September 2018, a electric motor with a propeller was tested on a Cessna iron bird. magniX outlined plans to fly an electric Cessna 208 Caravan with a magniX motor. Development for the test aircraft, dubbed the eCaravan, was carried out in Queensland in Australia and Washington state in the US.
In April 2019, magniX was selected as the propulsion system provider for the Eviation Alice, a nine-seat all electric airplane. By this time, magniX had accumulated over 1,500 hours of ground tests in Redmond and Australia.
In 2019, Harbour Air, a seaplane company based in Vancouver, Canada,December 10, 2019, all-electric airplane is flying the first commercial test flight of its kind, Fast Company partnered with magniX on converting a DHC-2 Beaver to electric power, with the end goal of electrifying its entire fleet. The "eBeaver" completed its first test flight on December 10, 2019, making a five-minute flight with the magni500 electric motor using lithium-ion batteries. This was hailed in the press as the first flight of an all-electric commercial aircraft.
2020-2021: Cessna flight and NASA The first flight of a modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan with magniX motors was completed at Grant County International Airport on May 28, 2020. In the first flight of the world's largest all-electric aircraft,May 28, 2020, all-electric aircraft to make maiden flight, CNN the magni500-powered variant could fly with 4-5 passengers while keeping reserve power. In December 2020, CEO was Roei Ganzarski.
In January 2021, magniX consolidated its Redmond headquarters and research center in Australia with one new facility. A 44,000 square-foot building near Paine Field in Everett began serving as its headquarters and facility for design, engineering and manufacturing.2021, aircraft developer magniX moves HQ to Everett, Herald (Everett, Washington) Also in 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued magniX special conditions for electric engine airworthiness, allowing its EPUs to undergo FAA testing protocols.September 29, 2021, FAA Approves Special Conditions for Certifying Electric Propulsion Systems, AIN That year, magniX signed a deal with Tier 1 Engineering to supply EPUs for medical helicopters.
NASA awarded magniX a US$74.3 million contract in 2021 under its Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration programMarch 25, 2025, Real Potential, EVA to research electrified aircraft propulsion.January 6, 2022, of electric aircraft-engine company is stepping down, Herald Everett The program focused on electrifying a De Havilland Dash 7. magniX later conducted simulated altitude testing at the NASA Electric Aircraft Testbed facility in Ohio in April 2024.June 18, 2024, Tests Lay Groundwork for Hybrid Electric Planes, NASA
2022-2026: Further flights In 2021, magniX released two new EPUsJune 17, 2021, Magnix rolls out two more-powerful electric propulsion systems, Flight Global (electric propulsion units), the magni350 and magni650. The EPUs were named among the Best Inventions of 2022 by TIME.2022, Inventions of 2022, TIME Two magniX EPUs were used to power the September 2022 initial test flight of the Eviation Alice.October 15, 2024, Eviation Quietly Prepares to Build Updated Alice Prototype, AIN magniX motors were also tested in a helicopter for the first time in 2022. That June, a Robinson R44 with a magniX EPU completed a three-minute flight at Los Alamitos Army Airfield.June 8, 2022, R44 Makes First Flight with MagniX Electric Propulsion, AIN
In 2024 and 2025, magniX introduced new products. In early 2024, magniX launched its Samson batteriesDecember 5, 2024, milestone in NASA test, Aerospace Manufacturing and Design with 300 Wh/kg. This was increased to 400 Wh/kg at the cell level in June 2025.June 18, 2025, MagniX Offers Increased Energy Density Battery Cells, AIN magniX powered the first flight of a hydrogen-electric R44 in March 2025, in what was also the world's first piloted flight by a hydrogen-electric helicopter.July 23, 2025, magniX and Robinson Helicopter Company to Develop Battery Electric R66 Helicopter Demonstrator, magniX magniX launched its HeliStorm engines for helicopters and rotorcraft in March 2025.March 11, 2025, engine line for electric helicopters, Aerospace Manufacturing and Design At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in July 2025, magniX and Robinson Helicopters announced an agreement to jointly develop a battery-electric powertrain for the R66 helicopter.July 23, 2025, Robinson Teams with MagniX To Develop Electric R66, AIN In November 2025, Samson batteries were chosen by Bye Aerospace to power its eFlyer 2 training aircraft.October 29, 2025, Bye Aerospace picks magniX Samson batteries for eFlyer 2 prototype, Avi Trader At the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in April 2026, the company launched the magniAIR engine for general aviation.https://avweb.com/aviation-news/magnix-launches-new-ga-focused-all-electric-engine/
Products magni350 - electric engine for fixed-wing (eCTOL) aircraft2026, , magnix.aero magni650 - electric engine for fixed-wing (eCTOL) aircraft HeliStorm - electric engine for helicopters and hybrids magniAIR – electric engine for general aviation. magniDrive - power electronics PDX800 - power distribution unit Samson300 - modular battery2026, Batteries, magniX
Customers and partners
Company Product Airplane/Helicopter(s) Notes Harbour Air magni650 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 BeaverFirst flight: 2019 (with a magni500) Tier 1 Engineering magni350 Robinson R44 First flight: 2022 Eviation Aircraft magni650 Eviation Alice First flight: September 27, 2022 Universal Hydrogen magni650 Dash 8 First flight: March 2, 2023NASAmagni650Dash 7 Blade Urban TBA Cessna 208 Caravan Flapper Tecnologia magni650 Cessna 208 Caravan Desaer & CEiiA magni350 Desaer ATL-100H Robinson Helicopters HeliStorm Robinson R66 AeroTec magni500 Cessna 208B Grand CaravanFirst Flight: 2020 Unither Biolectroniquemagni350Robinson R44 (hydrogen-electric)First Flight: March 2025April 8, 2025, Unither Achieves First Hydrogen-powered Helicopter Flight, AIN Bye Aerospace Samson batteries eFlyer 2
See also List of aircraft engines
References
External links