World's Largest Battery-Electric Aircraft Completes First Flight in New York

The world's largest battery-electric aircraft has completed its maiden flight, marking a significant milestone for electric aviation and battery technology.

Heart Aerospace's X1 battery-electric aircraft took flight during its maiden test flight at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York. [Photo: Heart Aerospace Facebook]

However, fully battery-powered commercial passenger flights remain years away, Mack DeGeurin reported for Popular Science.

Manufactured by Los Angeles-based Heart Aerospace, the aircraft is called the X1. It has a 106-foot wingspan, measures 76 feet from nose to tail and weighs more than 25,000 pounds.

The aircraft took off from Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York on Aug. 12 and flew for 27 minutes on battery power alone, reaching an altitude of about 1,100 feet. It carried only a pilot and no passengers. 

The flight was an early test for Heart Aerospace's broader commercial ambitions.

The company is developing the ES-30, a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft that it hopes to bring into service around 2031.

The ES-30 is designed to use electric propulsion for shorter flights and a hybrid system for longer regional routes. 

Heart Aerospace was founded in Sweden and is now based in the United States. The X1 demonstrator is intended to help validate the technology and design concepts behind the ES-30.