Interview, Fireside Chat, Product Demonstration
The World’s Largest Electric Aircraft Just Flew
- Heart Aerospace has successfully flight-tested the largest electric airplane in history, featuring a 100-foot wingspan and a 25,000-pound take-off weight.
- The aircraft's taxiing and take-off operations cost approximately $5 in electricity.
- The next-generation ES-30 successor targets a range of up to 125 miles on battery alone or 500 miles in hybrid configuration.
- The ES-30 is designed to recharge fully in approximately 30 minutes.
- This airframe represents the first clean-sheet airliner design to fly in the U.S. in the last 18 years and is currently twice the size of any other electric aircraft in operation.
- The development team consists of 40 employees based in Los Angeles, led by CEO Anders Forslund and co-founder Clara.
- The project originated seven years ago when Forslund presented a handheld 3D-printed model to Y Combinator.
- Heart Aerospace replaces traditional jet engines with 400-kilowatt electric motors to significantly reduce complexity and operating costs.
- Unlike jet engines containing thousands of parts, the electric motors have only one moving part and require no combustion or fluids.
- The design eliminates wear associated with combustion, resulting in near-zero maintenance and a virtually silent operational profile.
- Power is supplied by eight battery packs distributed across the fuselage floor, providing energy density comparable to roughly four Tesla battery units.
- The company positions its technology to replace 40-year-old regional aircraft designs that are inefficient for short-haul flights.
- Approximately half of all global flights are under two hours, a segment currently underserved by conventional jet technology.
- Operational economics have improved from 33% better to 48% better in the last year due to rising fuel prices.
- The aircraft targets markets such as island hopping in Hawaii or connecting Norwegian fjord towns, reducing drive times of six hours to 20-minute flights.
- Strategic development relied on converting Letters of Intent (LOIs) from Nordic airlines (SAS, Braavida) into tangible prototypes to attract further capital.
- A critical early customer, United Airlines, was secured after an inbound email was identified in the spam folder by the co-founders.
- The company utilized a "material proof" strategy where capital acquisition was tied to the creation of physical assets, such as the 400-kilowatt motor.
- Manufacturing strategy focuses on in-house production of 15 actuator components and 6061 aerospace aluminum parts to reduce reliance on a fragmented supplier base.
- The Los Angeles facility operates as a comprehensive test bench, capable of delivering 1.6 megawatts of power for simultaneous structural and system testing.
- The design includes fault injection testing protocols to ensure system functionality during programming errors or physical wire cuts.
- The ES-30 cabin is designed for 36 passengers, typically configured for 30 to maximize legroom.
- Battery cell selection involves comparing Chinese, American, and Korean manufacturers for safety, cycle life, and energy density.
- Current commercial battery cells offer approximately 370 watt-hours per kilogram, with 400 watt-hour per kilogram cells expected within months.
- To solve the weight penalty of carrying reserve battery power for diversions, the aircraft utilizes a hybrid system.
- The hybrid configuration allows the plane to fly 125 miles electrically before engaging a simple, inexpensive turboprop engine for extended range.
- The hybrid system adds approximately 20% to the aircraft's upfront cost but enables a total operational range of 500 miles.
- Company leadership applies risk management principles from SpaceX, prioritizing minimizing the impact of errors over merely minimizing probability.
- The philosophy favors cheaper, faster iteration cycles rather than the traditional aerospace approach of "knowing everything before doing anything."
- The team focuses on software reliability, noting that modern aircraft crashes are primarily caused by logic failures rather than structural ones.
- Heart Aerospace distinguishes itself from flying taxi startups by targeting the mainline regional market rather than the helicopter sector.
- The aircraft carries 36 passengers compared to the 3-4 passengers typical of eVTOL vehicles.
- The design leverages the existing 5,000-airport infrastructure in the U.S. rather than requiring new vertiport networks.
- Long-term roadmaps include scaling to larger narrow-body aircraft to address the massive backlogs for the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
- Future iterations aim to operate with reduced pilot presence, utilizing remote pilot support similar to current autonomous cargo operations.
- The company anticipates a shift toward fully autonomous passenger flight as the technology matures and safety standards are met.
- Financially, the hybrid-electric model currently holds a negative green premium, making it immediately cost-competitive with fossil-fuel alternatives.
- The company views the aircraft as an appreciating asset, with the vehicle becoming more efficient and capable as battery technology improves over time.
- The first flight occurred on Wednesday, August 12, in Plattsburgh, New York, marking the culmination of seven years of development.