36Kr Exclusive: Former Siemens and Rolls-Royce Electric Flight Team Founds Aviation Electric Drive System Startup, Secures Millions in Two Rounds of Financing 36氪首发｜前西门子、罗罗电动飞行团队创业做航空电驱系统，两轮连融数千万元

TL;DR

• Kaipei Kinetic Aviation Technology secured tens of millions of RMB in seed and angel funding led by Lingyi Capital, targeting the high-barrier aviation electric drive sector for eVTOLs.
• The founding team comprises veterans from Siemens and Rolls-Royce Electric Aviation, leveraging over a decade of experience in DO-178C/DO-254 certified systems and 1,500+ flight hours.
• The company addresses the "impossible triangle" of lightweight design, high performance, and reliability, aiming to balance European engineering standards with China’s advanced supply chain capabilities.
• Product roadmap includes a 1.0 tech verification prototype this year, a 1.5 flight-capable prototype in Q1 next year, and joint first-flight tests with OEMs in Q3 next year.
• Strategic focus is on Urban Air Mobility (UAM) with simultaneous global market expansion, securing partnerships with both domestic Chinese and international fixed-wing manufacturers.

Why It Matters

This development highlights the critical bottleneck in the eVTOL industry: the transition from airframe design to certified propulsion systems. For AI and robotics practitioners, it underscores the increasing convergence of aerospace-grade safety certifications (like DO-178C) with electric vehicle technologies, creating a new niche for high-reliability embedded systems. Furthermore, it signals a shift in the low-altitude economy where specialized component suppliers with deep aviation heritage are becoming more valuable than generalist EV tech firms entering the space.

Technical Details

• Certification & Safety Standards: Systems must comply with strict aviation regulations including DO-178C (software) and DO-254 (hardware), requiring multi-channel redundancy, single-point failure protection, and complex thermal management.
• Performance Specifications: The electric drive systems cover a power range of 30kW to 2MW, focusing on high power density, high torque density, and efficiency suitable for both electric and hybrid-electric platforms.
• Supply Chain Strategy: Utilizes a hybrid approach, sourcing high-performance permanent magnets and soft magnetic materials from leading Chinese suppliers while retaining imported components for critical items like aviation bearings and certain power modules until domestic alternatives are fully validated.
• Development Timeline: Rapid iteration cycle from 1.0 tech verification prototype (current year) to 1.5 flight-ready prototype (Q1 next year), followed by joint first-flight testing with OEMs (Q3 next year).

Industry Insight

• Supply Chain Localization: The integration of European design expertise with China’s mature manufacturing base for key materials (magnets, steel) offers a competitive cost-performance ratio that could accelerate global adoption of Chinese-made eVTOL components.
• Barrier to Entry: The requirement for specific aviation certification experience creates a high moat, suggesting that future market consolidation will favor teams with direct aerospace heritage over those transitioning purely from automotive or consumer electronics sectors.
• Global Market Dynamics: Early global positioning allows startups to bypass the "domestic-first" trap, enabling them to tap into international OEM needs immediately, which is crucial given the fragmented nature of the global eVTOL certification landscape.