Electric Hybrid Passenger Plane In Development: The ES-30 – CleanTechnica

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Last Updated on: 4th June 2025, 11:06 am

When looking on the ClimateBase website, I noticed a company named Heart Aerospace listed there. The aviation company is located in California and Sweden and does a good job of explaining what it does immediately on its website’s homepage: electrifying regional air travel. Aviation is one of the primary contributors to climate change, so reducing its carbon footprint is imperative. Air pollution generated at airports can also harm human health.

Large passenger planes that only use electric motors and batteries may not be a great option currently because batteries tend to be heavy and don’t have excellent energy density for liftoff and flying long distances yet, including with an ample reserve. So, hybrid propulsion may prove more effective at least for the near term. In fact, Heart Aerospace is working on such a plane, the ES-30.

Christina Zander, Head of Communications at Heart Aerospace, answered some questions about the plane for CleanTechnica.

What is the ES-30 and when will it be ready to begin flying passengers and baggage?

The ES-30 is a 30-seat, hybrid-electric, regional passenger airplane under development by Heart Aerospace. It will fly 200 km on battery electric power, with no emissions, and up to 800 km in hybrid mode. Heart aims for type certification before the end of the decade.

Where will it be used at first and who will purchase and operate your hybrid planes?

Heart Aerospace has already secured 250 orders for the ES-30, with options and purchase rights for another 120 airplanes. The company also has letters of intent for a further 191 airplanes. The orders are from airlines and leasing firms around the world, including United Airlines and Air Canada.

Why hybrid planes instead of fully electric ones?

Heart Aerospace chooses to develop hybrid-electric aircraft because current battery technology does not yet provide the range required for most regional flights—especially when accounting for mandatory energy reserves. Aviation regulations require aircraft to carry enough energy to reach an alternate airport in case of diversions or delays, and storing this reserve in batteries significantly increases the aircraft’s weight. This is due to the much lower energy density of batteries compared to conventional fuel, meaning more mass is needed to store the same amount of energy. Hybrid systems allow the airplane to fly longer distances on battery power alone as reserves are kept in conventional fuel. This approach offers a practical, reliable path to decarbonize aviation today while paving the way for fully electric aircraft in the future.

What will be the purchase price of an ES-30 when it is available for use?

As the ES-30 is still under development it is too early to say what the purchase price will be, but electric and hybrid electric airplanes offer a significant advantage by lowering operating costs compared to traditional aircraft.

What is the electric motor or motors size, what is the battery pack size and chemistry?

Heart is working on what it calls an independent hybrid propulsion system, with two off-the-shelf turboprop engines outboard on the wing, and two all-electric motors inboard on the wing. We size the electric motors so that we can fly the aircraft all-electric for routes up to 200 km. The turboprops can be turned on when needed to extend the cruise phase up to 800 km.

The aircraft will be powered by two electric motors, each producing 1,600 kilowatts of power. The battery pack is designed with an expected energy density of approximately 330 watt-hours per kilogram at the pack level.

How long can it fly on electricity only and how far when it also uses aviation fuel?

It will fly 200km on battery electric power, with no emissions, and up to 800 km in hybrid mode.

What will the plane’s warranty be and what will be covered?

The ES-30 is still in the development phase, so it’s too early to provide specific details about the warranty and coverage. These aspects will be defined closer to the aircraft’s certification and entry into service, in alignment with industry standards and customer needs.

What will the plane’s expected use life be?

The ES-30 is still in the development phase, so it’s too early to provide specific details on the planes expected use life.

How much less aviation fuel will your hybrid plane use compared to a standard plane that does not have electric motors?

While exact fuel savings will depend on the specific route and operating conditions, we can use the projected CO₂ reductions compared to a standard ATR 42 as an indication of the potential savings. Our calculations show that the hybrid-electric propulsion system of the ES-30 can significantly reduce fuel consumption, thanks to the use of electric motors during the flight. These reductions directly correlate with lower fuel burn, offering both environmental and economic benefits for operators.