Evolito files type certificate application for E800 engine

Evolito submits a type certificate application to the UK Civil Aviation Authority for its E800 electric engine, initially intended for Electra's EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft. The company describes it as the first certification application in a product family built on its axial-flux motor technology.

By SamPublished October 22, 2026Updated November 8, 20262 min read

The submission formally starts the E800 certification program with the UK CAA and moves the engine from experimental development into the regulatory process required for commercial use. The E800-A1 is the first configuration to be certified, tailored to the EL9 Ultra Short, Electra’s nine-passenger aircraft with distributed electric propulsion.

Evolito proposes SC-E19, the special condition for electric and hybrid propulsion, as the certification basis, with concurrent FAA validation. The program builds on the company’s Design Organisation Approval. On the airframe side, the FAA has issued Electra a G-1 Issue Paper for the EL9’s Part 23 program.

The E800 is a fully integrated engine for propeller-driven aircraft. It combines the axial-flux motor with integrated controls and cooling in a package that bears the propeller load, and its control architecture is designed to DAL-A. Preparatory work includes a digital twin for simulation across several physical domains, safety assessments, software and hardware planning, architecture definition, compliance planning and early virtual builds that test manufacturability.

In Evolito’s description, the E800 is the lead engine of a planned E800 Series family. Future aircraft programs are meant to draw on the certification groundwork laid with the EL9. The company continues the process with the authorities, Electra and its suppliers.

Why it matters

Electric propulsion suppliers are shifting their focus from proving the technology to certification, production readiness and entry into service, and the E800 filing puts Evolito’s engine into the UK CAA process under SC-E19, with FAA validation in parallel.

Evolito is a privately held company based in Oxford, backed by B-Flexion, Oxford Science Enterprises and HostPlus. It has also been selected to supply electric propulsion units for Vertical Aerospace’s Valo eVTOL, covered in Evolito to supply electric engines for Vertical’s Valo eVTOL.

Its D250 and D500 are separate high-voltage motors optimized for rotorcraft engine speeds; the D500 also targets generation and APU-style roles in hybrid systems. Evolito cites liquid cooling as its general design approach. More on the company is on its profile page.

Products in this article