The largest battery-electric plane ever made has flown for the first time
Heart Aerospace says its X1 prototype, described as the largest battery-electric aircraft yet built, has completed its first flight in New York. The 27-minute test demonstrates progress towards lower-emission regional aviation, though commercial viability will depend heavily on further improvements in battery technology.
The aircraft reached 1,100 feet and reportedly used under $5 of electricity for take-off, flight and landing. Heart plans to develop the 30-seat ES-30 hybrid regional aircraft, targeting a 125-mile electric range and up to 500 miles with hybrid power; it hopes to enter service in 2031, an ambitious timetable.
- Heart Aerospace’s electric X1 prototype completed its first flight.
- The 27-minute flight reportedly used under $5 of electricity.
- A 30-seat hybrid aircraft is targeted for service by 2031.
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Electric aircraft use motors powered by batteries rather than burning jet fuel or aviation petrol. They are being developed as a possible way to cut emissions and noise on short flights, but today’s batteries store far less energy for their weight than conventional fuels.
Heart Aerospace is a Swedish company working on aircraft for regional routes, which link smaller cities and airports. Its X1 is a test aircraft rather than a passenger plane, designed to help engineers assess how a large battery-powered aircraft performs in the air.
The company’s planned ES-30 would carry up to 30 people and combine battery power with a hybrid system for longer journeys. Whether such aircraft can be widely used will depend on advances in batteries, safety approval, charging facilities at airports and the economics of operating them.