Dovetail’s Ignacio Echavarria on building the world’s first fully electric Cessna Caravan
11/07/2025
Ignacio Echavarria is a man with many hats. As chief technology officer, head of engineering, and chief engineer at Dovetail Electric Aviation, he’s not only setting the strategic direction for the company but also leading the hands-on development of its flagship aircraft: the E-Caravan, a fully electric retrofit of the iconic Cessna Caravan.
Speaking ahead of his session at the Future Propulsion Forum, Echavarria explained that Dovetail’s mission is clear – to accelerate the decarbonisation of regional aviation by retrofitting existing aircraft with electric propulsion systems, rather than developing new airframes from scratch. “There are thousands of these aircraft already flying, many on short routes well-suited to battery electric power,” he said. “We believe this is a niche with real customer potential that can be transformed this decade, not the next.”
A veteran of Airbus with expertise in propulsion system certification and electrification projects such as E-Fan X, Echavarria is no stranger to aviation innovation. His passion for electrification stems from a belief that aviation is overdue for its next revolution. “We’ve had fly-by-wire, we’ve had composites, now it’s time for propulsion,” he said. “Electrification is one of the few areas in propulsion where we can make a real environmental impact.”
Dovetail’s most notable innovation lies in its use of immersion-cooled batteries, which is a first for aviation. Instead of air or cold plates, the battery cells are submerged in a dielectric fluid, offering superior thermal management and, crucially, enhanced safety against thermal runaway. “In aviation, there’s no pulling over if something goes wrong,” he said. “This approach lets us manage temperature and contain risk far more effectively.”
At the Aerospace Test & Development Show, Echavarria’s presentation will focus on how this next-generation powertrain is being tested. “We’re taking the audience through the entire testing journey, from component-level validation to full-system integration,” he said. With battery packs and electric motors already undergoing testing and system integration well underway, Dovetail expects their ground testbed to be operational around the time of the show and the flying testbed to follow some months later.
“It’s the right forum to show how we’re turning ambition into action,” Echavarria said. “This is not just about the future of propulsion, it’s about testing that future, now.”
Session: The development and testing of full electric powertrains for regional aviation - insights from Dovetail Electric Aviation
Date: 1st October 2025
Time: 14:00 – 14:30
A veteran of Airbus with expertise in propulsion system certification and electrification projects such as E-Fan X, Echavarria is no stranger to aviation innovation. His passion for electrification stems from a belief that aviation is overdue for its next revolution. “We’ve had fly-by-wire, we’ve had composites, now it’s time for propulsion,” he said. “Electrification is one of the few areas in propulsion where we can make a real environmental impact.”
Dovetail’s most notable innovation lies in its use of immersion-cooled batteries, which is a first for aviation. Instead of air or cold plates, the battery cells are submerged in a dielectric fluid, offering superior thermal management and, crucially, enhanced safety against thermal runaway. “In aviation, there’s no pulling over if something goes wrong,” he said. “This approach lets us manage temperature and contain risk far more effectively.”
At the Aerospace Test & Development Show, Echavarria’s presentation will focus on how this next-generation powertrain is being tested. “We’re taking the audience through the entire testing journey, from component-level validation to full-system integration,” he said. With battery packs and electric motors already undergoing testing and system integration well underway, Dovetail expects their ground testbed to be operational around the time of the show and the flying testbed to follow some months later.
“It’s the right forum to show how we’re turning ambition into action,” Echavarria said. “This is not just about the future of propulsion, it’s about testing that future, now.”
Session: The development and testing of full electric powertrains for regional aviation - insights from Dovetail Electric Aviation
Date: 1st October 2025
Time: 14:00 – 14:30