EATS: Keynote Presentation 15 June 2023 1115 - 1215

Beyond Battery-Range: How Does Electric Propulsion Change How We Travel?

The aviation industry has connected the globe at an incredibly affordable cost. However, we have not been able to effectively serve short-haul routes <300 miles, where slow-moving ground transport dominates >95% of trips. With electric propulsion, we have the opportunity to change that. Using a hybrid-electric, blown-lift design, Electra’s hybrid eSTOL operates from very small spaces independent of traditional runway infrastructure, without sacrificing on payload and range. The energy required to transport one passenger over one mile is significantly lower than for an aircraft employing vertical lift; a key consideration in a future where the transportation industry is under pressure to reduce emissions. Electra will reveal its 2-seat technology demonstrator, which will showcase this technology at scale. Electra’s product aircraft is designed for 9 passengers. While small aircraft currently present only a lesser fraction of aviation’s emissions, building and certifying aircraft that integrate aerodynamic and propulsive effects, such as Electra’s eSTOL, at Part 23 scale, might just help us pave the way to larger, lower emissions transport aircraft in the future.