Ascendance co-founder shares insights about French hybrid-electric eVTOL: video 

France has a contender in the highly competitive advanced air mobility race. 

Based near Toulouse, one of Europe’s aerospace capitals, Ascendance Flight Technologies has been working on the eye-catching ATEA eVTOL since 2018. 

The ATEA is a five-seat hybrid-electric VTOL designed to have a range of 400 kilometers at full payload and a cruising speed of 200 kilometers per hour. This figure can increase to up to 900 kilometers of range with a reduced payload. 

Vertical lift is provided by eight ducted fans, while two propellers, mounted on the nose and the tail, are used for horizontal flight once the aircraft is airborne and has reached transition altitude.  

At the Paris Air Show, which took place at Le Bourget between June 1 and 3, 2025, Ascendance announced the launch of its proprietary STERNA hybrid-electric propulsion system, developed in partnership with French battery and thermal management systems developer EXOES.  

The STERNA is an advanced modular that integrates a battery designed specifically for hybrid-electric aviation, together with an energy management system, a Turbotech Aero turbogenerator and Safran ENGINeUS electric motors 

Unlike other eVTOL entrepreneurs, the founders of Ascendance have focused on hybrid propulsion from the beginning. A choice possibly influenced by the fact that, prior to setting up Ascendance, some of them had worked on Airbus’ E-Fan project. This early attempt by the European aerospace giant to dabble in electric propulsion was cancelled in 2017, but it offered some valuable lessons about the capabilities and challenges of electric propulsion. 

And while most of the attention Ascendance has received is centered on the ATEA eVTOL, the company’s expertise in hybrid-propulsion systems has also opened up opportunities to collaborate with a number of other aerospace projects. 

At this year’s Paris Air Show, Ascendance also announced the signature of two separate collaboration agreements with both Airbus and a consortium which includes well-known industry players such as Collins, Safran and Daher, in order to further research into hybrid-electric propulsion systems. 

As of June 2025, Ascendance has received more than 670 orders for the ATEA, which is expected to be certified and enter service by 2029. 

The company is currently building its first prototype aircraft and is targeting a first flight at some point before H2 2026. 

AeroTime met with Ascendance co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Thibault Baldivia at the Paris Air Show to learn more about these projects and the goals the French startup is aiming to achieve. 

Watch the video below to find out more. 

The post Ascendance co-founder shares insights about French hybrid-electric eVTOL: video  appeared first on AeroTime.

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