Maxwell Aircraft Unveils Hybrid Amphibious Cargo Plane M1-HC
Bartow, Fla. – November 06, 2026 -- Maxwell Aircraft has unveiled the M1 Hybrid, a patent-pending hybrid-drive amphibious aircraft whose cargo variant, the M1-HC, is designed to carry a 2,000-pound payload over 1,000 nautical miles on the same flight.
Electric boost covers takeoff, Jet A engines cover cruise
The mechanically coupled drive pairs electric motors with compression-ignition engines. Design targets are up to 1,500 horsepower for takeoff and initial climb, and about 300 horsepower combined in cruise, or 150 horsepower per engine.
Maxwell says conventional aircraft carry engines sized for takeoff although they use only a fraction of that power in cruise. Confining electric boost mainly to high-power phases reduces the battery capacity, and therefore the battery weight, the aircraft must carry.
In cruise, the M1 relies on compound-turbocharged, direct-injection compression-ignition engines running on Jet A fuel.