Electravia
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | September 19, 2008 in Vaumeilh, France |
| Founder | Anne Lavrand, Jérémie Buiatti, Christian Vandamme |
| Headquarters | Vaumeilh , France |
Area served | Worldwide (over 80 countries) |
| Products | Carbon fibre propellers for light aircraft and paramotors |
Number of employees | 40 (2021) |
| Website | www |
Electravia - Helices E-Props is a French manufacturer in the aviation industry located in Vaumeilh, with a specialization in the non-certified segment of light aviation. While initially focused on electric propulsion systems, the firm has shifted its core business to the design and production of carbon fibre propellers tailored for light aircraft.
History
Electravia was established on 19 September 2008 by Anne Lavrand, Jérémie Buiatti, and Christian Vandamme. The company’s early work involved creating electric motors for light aircraft. Notably, the BL1E Electra became the first registered electric motor-powered aircraft operating on batteries, achieving a 48-minute flight on 23 December 2007 using an 18 kW disk-brushed motor coupled with a lithium polymer battery.
Starting in 2008, Electravia broadened its product range to include carbon fibre propellers, offering fixed pitch, ground-adjustable, and variable pitch variants. These propellers are manufactured within a 1,700 m² facility situated at Sisteron airfield (LFNS). Marketed under the E-Props brand, these propellers are recognized as the lightest available in their class and serve applications such as paramotors, ultralights, light aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
In September 2010, pilot Hugues Duval established a new world speed record for electric aircraft flying the twin-engine MC15E Cri-Cri E-Cristaline, reaching 262 km/h during the Pontoise Air Show and subsequently pushing the record to 283 km/h at the 2011 Paris Air Show. Electravia launched innovative products in subsequent years: the E-FENIX in 2011—the first fully electric two-seat paramotor—and in 2012, the foot-launched two-seater E-SPIDER.
By early 2014, around seventy aircraft models were equipped with Electravia’s propulsion technology, including notable examples like the ElectroLight2 motorglider and MC30E Firefly. Pilot Jean-Louis Soullier set a speed record near 190 km/h with these systems. The company’s portfolio included electric motors such as GMPE 102, GMPE 104, and GMPE 205, alongside development of electric ultralight trikes like the Electro Trike and Monotrace-E.
In 2014, Electravia discontinued its electric motor production to dedicate efforts solely to carbon fibre propeller manufacturing. On 9 July 2015, the MC15E CriCri E-Cristaline made history by becoming the first electric aircraft to successfully cross the English Channel.
By 2019, paramotor propellers represented 40% of Electravia’s sales volume, with over 4,500 units distributed across more than eighty countries. At the close of 2021, Electravia embarked on certification processes under EASA regulations (DOA / CS-P / PART 21G), obtaining its inaugural certified propeller—Type Certificate No. EASA P.512 for the E-Props EPGU3 model—in March 2023.
As of 2021, the company employed roughly forty aeronautical engineers and technicians and produced nearly 45,000 propeller blades annually. By 2022, E-Props carbon fibre propellers were installed on over 220 different light aircraft models and more than 150 paramotor brands worldwide. The firm maintains direct partnerships with thirty-five leading aircraft manufacturers and exports approximately eighty-seven percent of its output to close to eighty countries.