The test flight of Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator aircraft took place at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York on August 12. The X1 aircraft is comparable in size to a small regional airliner and can achieve a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 25,000 pounds with the help of four wing-mounted electric motors. The battery-electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power during the maiden flight.
All-electric aircraft can offer quieter and cleaner flight without the emissions that come from burning jet fuel. They may also prove more reliably cost-effective than conventional aircraft that come with jet fuel costs subject to geopolitical disruptions.
But the initial success of the X1 demonstrator does not mean Heart Aerospace is planning to commercialize an all-electric aircraft. Current battery-electric systems can only typically sustain short flights of about 100 to 200 miles, which is why they have been limited to air taxi operations by companies such as Joby and Archer.
Instead, testing of the X1 and a planned follow-on X2 aircraft will shape development of Heart Aerospace’s main offering to the airline industry—a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner known as the ES-30.
You won’t defeat the Chinese with that lol
Notably missing: the distance of the flight. Regardless, I don’t believe it. I think they’ve got some funny math going on.
That’s ~42kWh at that national average rate. Maybe enough to take off and land again.
The plane has 125 mile range. File this with the other techno bro bullshit for investors.
As dumb as it sounds, people still fly those distances.
I’ve done it as the last leg of a long flight from a major hub to the small town I was going toward. Nobody has a direct flight from Osaka to Greenville, South Carolina, turns out. So I had to fly from Atlanta.
I’ve done similar. But I guess an argument can be made that we should strive to replace those with more economical forms of transportation. Just because one part of your trip is by airplane, doesn’t mean the whole thing needs to be.
Absolutely. I would have loved to take a train that last leg. I also think trains should hook into the same booking system as flights so you can book your whole trip in one go.
Battery weight is a real thing. Look at the weight of electric cars for example.
It must’ve flew a few feet above the ground given that the only location was the airport.
I remain cautiously optimistic. The corporate PR stunt aside, the technology will continue to improve. Indeed, it must continue to improve to meaningfully dent the emissions of a dirty but necessary industry. We are years, perhaps decades, away from replacing regional and short haul flights with this though.
I hopeful but realistic. The investments have been greenwashing by airlines for a while so you wouldn’t feel bad for flying, so I’m both happy it’s working while remaining skeptical.
Still, if they could replace regional flights that would be a huge boon. Regional flights are some of the worst polluters.
The only flight I could see this replacing for me has a good train option I often take, so this feels only academic. Then again, it might feel more natural for the US market?
125 miles would barely get you across the greater Metro area here. Useless to get you out of town.
Yes, since we don’t have regional rail in the states, it is very common for a person to take a 45 minute flight to a nearby hub
Right. Perfect is the enemy of good.
