Heart Aerospace X1 first flight uses about $5 in electricity
Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator flew for 27 minutes in New York, but its $5 electricity figure covers only one test flight.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Heart Aerospace’s X1 first flight took place on August 12 at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York, according to reports based on the company’s announcement. Heart says the battery-electric demonstrator flew for 27 minutes and used about $5 worth of electricity, a narrow energy-cost estimate that does not represent the expense of running an airline.
Ars Technica, TravelPulse and InsideEVs reported that Heart describes X1 as the largest battery-electric aircraft yet flown. The company said the aircraft climbed to about 1,100 feet, or 335 metres, and its electric propulsion produced more than one megawatt of power during the test.
Reports put X1’s takeoff weight above 25,000 pounds, or roughly 11,300 kilograms. InsideEVs reported a wingspan of 106 feet and a nose-to-tail length of 76 feet; The Next Web gave comparable measurements in metric units. The flight profile included taxiing, takeoff, climbing, manoeuvring and landing under an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate, according to The Next Web and InsideEVs.
What does the $5 X1 flight cost mean?
The figure is Heart’s estimate for the electricity consumed during this single demonstration flight. It does not include maintenance, flight crew, airport charges, replacing batteries, or the cost of buying and financing the aircraft, The Next Web reported.
That distinction limits what can be concluded from the test. The flight shows that a large battery-electric demonstrator completed its initial mission; it does not establish the full operating cost of a commercial regional service or prove a future fare reduction for passengers.
X1 is not Heart’s planned airline aircraft
X1 is a technology demonstrator intended to help shape Heart’s proposed ES-30 regional aircraft, according to Ars Technica. The planned ES-30 is a 30-seat hybrid-electric aircraft, rather than an all-electric production model: Heart’s concept combines electric motors with turboprop engines.
Heart has set targets of 125 miles of electric-only range and 500 miles in hybrid mode for the ES-30, reports said. Those are company targets, not demonstrated performance. The company plans to begin flight testing the pre-production aircraft in 2028 and is aiming for certification and commercial entry in 2031, according to Ars Technica, TravelPulse and InsideEVs.
Heart also claims the ES-30 could cut regional-aircraft operating costs by more than 40%. That projection remains dependent on development, testing and certification of an aircraft that has not yet entered commercial service.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.