Heart Aerospace, a startup with ambitions to build an electric regional jet, has received the support and commitment of several companies including Air Canada, SAS and United.
Heart Aerospace
Air transport, like many other sectors, is facing an ecological challenge that forces it to find new ways and in general this context creates opportunities for new players, startups.
Many of them have therefore entered the electric aircraft niche, including Heart Aerospace.
Heart Aerospace is a Swedish company that has received investments from United, Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund, MESA Airlines, Air Canada and Saab among others.
It therefore aims to build electric regional jets. Initially, it focused on a 19 seats jet, the ES-19, but is now working on a 30 seats version, the ES-30.
Heart Aerospace ES 19 and ES 30
The first model designed by Heart Aerospace was the SE-19, a 19-seat jet with a range of 400 km and a battery that charges in 40 minutes.
While the ES19 has not yet flown as such, a 1:5 scale model to validate the concept made its first flight in December 2021 near the company’s headquarters at Säve Airport near Gothenburg.
A full-size prototype has been tested on the ground for over a year.
The ES-19 has already received order commitments from United, MESA Airlines, Braathens Regional Airlines, Icelandair, and Sounds Air.
The first test flight should take place in 2024 for a commercial entry into service in 2026.
But under the pressure of these first customers Heart started to develop a larger version, the ES-30 with a capacity of 30 passengers, capable of flying in 100% electric mode for 200 km and in hybrid for 400. At the end of the 2030s the company estimates that it will be able to fly 400 km in pure electric and 600 km in hybrid.
The engine was developed by Honeywell and Rolls Royce, the latter obviously finding more future in electric than in supersonic.
Success of the ES-30
The arrival of this larger capacity aircraft has attracted new customers as well as the original customers who have started to convert their orders to the ES-30, the ES-19 being visibly abandoned.
After United and MESA Airlines (100 aircrafts each), SAS and Air Canada (30 aircrafts) have signed letters of intent for this aircraft, which should fly in 2028.
Bottom line
While the long-haul electric aircraft remains a pipe dream today, the electric regional jet should see the light of day within a reasonable timeframe and with real commercial potential.
But we still have to wait for the first prototype to fly and to be tested in extreme conditions to validate the concept.
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