Elon Musk Cheers Heart Aerospace's $5 Electric Flight, Urges Autonomy

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Summary · why it matters

Elon Musk has applauded Heart Aerospace's first flight of its X1 battery-electric demonstrator, which flew for 27 minutes on roughly $5 of electricity, and said an important next step is making it autonomous. The piloted X1 flew on August 12 from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York under an FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate, climbing to 1,100 feet and delivering more than one megawatt of electric propulsion power. Heart Aerospace calls the X1 the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown, and founder and CEO Anders Forslund said the test demonstrated electric flight at the scale of a commercial airliner. The X1 supports development of the ES-30, a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft targeting 200 kilometers of all-electric range and up to 800 kilometers in hybrid operation, with type certification planned for 2031. Heart says the ES-30 could cut aircraft operating costs by more than 40 percent, and the company has attracted a $107 million investment from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, while Air Canada has ordered 30 ES-30 aircraft and invested $5 million in Heart Aerospace. Musk's call for autonomy goes beyond Heart's current roadmap, as the X1 flight was piloted and the ES-30 is presented as a crewed aircraft, and certification remains a hurdle, with the FAA describing a seven-phase process.

Impact on assets 2

Industrials▲ · 1 stocks
Air Canada
0SE9
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance

Air Canada has ordered 30 ES-30 aircraft and invested $5 million in Heart Aerospace, a concrete order for the electric regional aircraft.

Aerospace & Aviation▲ · 1 stocks

Theme Impact 1

Off-coverage companies 2

Heart AerospacePrivate▲ Positive
Technologyrelevance

Heart Aerospace's X1 battery-electric demonstrator completed its first 27-minute flight, advancing development of the ES-30 hybrid-electric regional aircraft.

Breakthrough Energy VenturesPrivate▲ Positive
Capitalrelevance

Breakthrough Energy Ventures made a $107 million investment in Heart Aerospace, a financing event.

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