Discover the ES-30, the 100% electric plane set to fly in 2028

The opening of ticket sales for the Scandinavian Airlines’ first 100% electric flight provides an opportunity to take an interest in the chosen aircraft.

This is the kind of article that, in a century, will make us smile. But electric aviation is still in its infancy and will only see its performance improve from now on. The commercial aviation sector is often criticized for its impact on global warming due to the large amount of energy needed to fly fast and far with large aircraft. However, a technological revolution is underway.

All aircraft manufacturers, such as Airbus or Boeing, are working on decarbonized projects, but the Swedish company Heart Aerospace also started early on in this electric path. Its first aircraft, the ES-30 (for its 30-passenger capacity), is currently refining its technical specifications and will soon begin flight testing.

For now, the aircraft has very limited range: 200 km in 100% electric mode, which is the distance between Paris and Le Mans. About two hours by car, nearly as long by plane when you include safety procedures. This aircraft will therefore only be truly interesting for destinations without land connections, such as short hops from one island to another in Scandinavia (the Baltic Sea has an archipelago of 6,500 islands!) or in the Caribbean, for example.

The propulsion is provided by four electric motors, and the maximum altitude will be limited to 20,000 feet (about 7,000 meters) to avoid unnecessary energy waste. Charging is ultra-rapid, taking about 30 minutes between rotations. Ideal for giving time to clean the cabin, unload and put luggage in the hold, then welcome new passengers and perform safety procedures.

Heart Aerospace is developing a “hybrid” version with an onboard electric generator to increase the range. This could extend to 400 km with this solution, or even 800 km by limiting the capacity to 25 passengers. The Swedish aircraft manufacturer also anticipates future technological advances, estimating that the range in 100% electric mode will reach 300 km and 500 km in hybrid, then respectively 400 and 600 km by the late 2030s.

The competition is on!

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