The Largest Electric Aircraft Ever Built Just Took Its First Flight. The Goal Is Commercial Service in 2031
The largest battery-powered electric aircraft ever created recently completed its first successful flight.
The new plane from Heart Aerospace took flight on August 12 at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York, the company says in a press release. The piloted mission lasted 27 minutes, and the aircraft—the Heart X1, a demonstrator for the company’s ES-30 planes—reached an altitude of 1,100 feet while its all-electric propulsion system delivered more than 1 megawatt of power. According to the company, X1 used approximately $5 worth of electricity during its first flight.
“With the first flight of X1, Heart Aerospace has demonstrated electric flight at the scale of a commercial airliner,” Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, said in the press release. “Electric commercial aircraft have the potential to fundamentally reshape airline economics and, ultimately, lower the cost of air travel for passengers.”
The company says its mission is to create more affordable, more frequent, and cleaner air service.
Last week’s flight was conducted under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category, which examined the plane’s takeoff, climb, maneuvering, and landing. The company hope its new product will eventually be able to function as a traditional commercial airliner, and it has partnered with major companies to bring that vision to life.
“Electric commercial aircraft have real potential to deliver a better travel experience for passengers while strengthening our business, and we look forward to Heart’s continued development of the ES-30 and its potential future role in United’s network,” Michael Leskinen, chief financial officer of United Airlines, said in the release.
“An important proof point”
With rising jet fuel costs, electric aircraft are positioning themselves as a more affordable alternative to traditional carriers.
According to Heart, global jet fuel prices averaged $3.50 per gallon for the week ended August 7, up 63 percent year-over-year.
Experts are hopeful of the potential such a venture offers.
“Heart Aerospace’s first flight is an important proof point because it demonstrates battery-electric propulsion at a scale relevant to commercial aviation,” Jane Hoffer, chief growth officer at EA Technology, told Inc. “The opportunity is about more than climate. Electric propulsion could lower energy and maintenance costs, reduce noise, and limit airlines’ exposure to volatile jet-fuel prices.”
Some say Heart still has major constraints to work through, including battery weight, range, payload, and the availability of reliable charging infrastructure. These are all obstacles that other major electric aircraft companies—which include Joby Aviation, Beta, and Archer Aviation—also face.
“Supporting electric aircraft will require significant new power connections, resilient electrical assets, and intelligent monitoring to manage high charging loads without compromising other critical operations,” says Hoffer. “This milestone advances the wider EV transition by proving that high-power electric systems can perform in one of transportation’s most demanding environments.”
Heart is currently continuing its electric aircraft advancements in hopes of launching a formal service fleet in 2031. “What we learned from designing, building, testing, and flying X1 is already being incorporated into the pre-production aircraft and will continue to inform the ES-30 as we develop it at our Los Angeles headquarters,” Forslund told Inc.
The company expects its ES-30 to reduce aircraft operating costs by more than 40 percent compared with legacy regional aircraft. It says this decrease will be driven by lower energy costs and reduced maintenance requirements, as well as greater aircraft uptime and reliability, enabled by an integrated electronics and software architecture.
Flight testing for the ES-30 is scheduled to begin in 2028. Forslund says, “2031 remains our target for ES-30 entry into service, and we are on track toward that timeline. X1’s successful first flight represents an important step in de-risking the development path to that milestone.”
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