Will the E9X, the futuristic electric airplane, take off one day?

Elysian, a Dutch startup, aims to fly a plane carrying 90 passengers over 800 km using 100% electric energy

Will the E9X project from Elysian lead to something concrete? According to the Dutch startup, yes. However, it wouldn’t be the first to stumble on an electric aircraft concept.

What sets Elysian apart from other electric aircraft concepts is their project’s ambition. Creating a plane capable of transporting 90 passengers over 800 km would be beyond all expectations. Currently, the earliest electric aircraft concepts carry no more than 3 people over very short distances.

A story of batteries

But Elysian’s project is very concrete, and the design of the plane has even been shared. In a video published by ABC News, we can see the plane that could be built by 2033. It features two large wings, each equipped with four batteries. These batteries are used to turn propellers located along the wings.

Batteries are at the center of electric aviation concerns. Many companies have failed in this area, with batteries being the primary culprit. Their current weight-to-power ratio is largely insufficient to enable large passenger aircraft to fly. Additionally, recharging is at the heart of questions about the viability of the aircraft and its ability to perform round trips. The startup team aims to achieve a recharge time of 45 minutes. A duration that seems impossible to reach in the near future and even in the medium term.

The future will tell if Elysian was right to develop such an ambitious project. Maybe this is what’s ultimately needed to envisage a future for electric aviation.

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