Heart Aerospace electric plane takes first flight

The 25,000-pound (11.3 metric tons) aircraft flew for 27 minutes from Plattsburgh International Airport on August 12, reaching 1,100 feet (335m.) and delivering more than one megawatt of electric power.

Heart Aerospace says the X1 is the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown. Its 106-foot (32 m) wingspan puts it well beyond the small experimental electric aircraft that have dominated the sector to date.

The aircraft operated under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate in the experimental category. The test included taxiing, takeoff, climb, maneuvering and landing.

The flight is significant less because of its 27-minute duration than because of the scale of the propulsion system. Heart is using X1 to validate technologies for its planned ES-30 regional aircraft.

Powered entirely by batteries, X1 used approximately $5 worth of electricity during its first flight. The flight came amid a sustained surge in global jet fuel prices, which averaged $3.50 per gallon for the week ending August 7, up 63% year over year, highlighting the potential for electric propulsion to deliver structurally lower aircraft operating costs while decoupling airlines from the volatility of global oil markets.

“With the first flight of X1, Heart Aerospace has demonstrated electric flight at the scale of a commercial airliner,” said Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace.

“Electric commercial aircraft have the potential to fundamentally reshape airline economics and, ultimately, lower the cost of air travel for passengers. This is at the heart of our vision for abundant air travel, with electrification enabling more affordable, frequent, and cleaner air service to and from airports closer to home.”

From demonstration to passenger aircraft
Founded in Sweden in 2019, Heart Aerospace is now headquartered in Torrance, California. The company has raised $190 million in capital and has developed a strategy focused on electrifying regional aviation.

The ES-30 will carry 30 passengers and combine battery-electric propulsion with a hybrid system for longer flights.

Heart targets an all-electric range of 125 miles and a hybrid range of up to 500 miles. Charging is expected to take about 30 minutes, while type certification is targeted for 2031.

The company says the aircraft could deliver more than 40% lower operating costs than conventional regional aircraft. That could make short regional routes that are currently difficult to operate economically more viable, particularly where smaller airports and shorter sectors are involved.

Heart foresees this cost advantage widening over time through advances in battery technology, technology-enabled gains in crew efficiency, and the ES-30’s low exposure to a growing range of emissions-related aviation taxes and fees worldwide.

Heart is currently developing the first pre-production ES-30 at its pilot manufacturing plant in Los Angeles, with flight testing scheduled to begin in 2028.