The world's largest electric plane takes off

New Atlas reported that the 11,340 kg X1 aircraft of Swedish startup Heart Aerospace completed a 27-minute test flight from Plattsburgh, New York on August 12, reaching an altitude of 335 m. During the flight, this 30-seat prototype does not carry passengers but is controlled by only one pilot.

With a wingspan of 32 m and a length of 23 m, the X1 is about the same size as a turboprop aircraft carrying short-haul passengers between cities. The maximum takeoff weight of the X1 is 11,340 kg while the cruise speed is 204 km/h. Although both parameters are lower than short-haul aircraft such as the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q300, this is a common limitation of all pure electric aircraft because the battery pack of this aircraft has a much lower energy density than jet fuel. The X1 is the predecessor of the ES-30 hybrid electric aircraft model with 30 seats with a flight range of 200 km/h when using only batteries and 400-800 km/h when combined with a turbine generator.

According to Popular Science, the Heart Aerospace company was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, but moved to Los Angeles, USA in April 2025 in an effort to develop hybrid electric aircraft for domestic flight. It is one of several companies aiming to take advantage of recent advances in battery technology to reshape the aviation industry, at least in the regional segment.

Battery-powered aircraft, especially those using renewable energy, offer a cleaner alternative to environmentally harmful jet fuel. The aviation industry accounts for about 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, electric motors have fewer moving parts, requiring less maintenance and repair costs.

Airplanes powered entirely by electric engines have been around for more than half a century. However, despite significant advances, they often encounter problems when increasing in size. Manufacturing aircraft carrying from one to more than a dozen people is much simpler than manufacturing commercial aircraft and can be economically effective.

"Through the first flight of the CEO of Heart Aerospace company, shared with Skiesmag.

With a target of entering service in 2031, Heart expects the ES-30 to reduce costs by more than 40% compared to conventional short-haul aircraft thanks to cheaper energy costs, reduced maintenance needs while higher uptime and reliability thanks to integrated software.