AWARD YEAR
2023
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure, Responsible Consumption & Production, Climate Action, Sustainable Tourism
KEYWORDS
airplane, electric planes, traveling
COUNTRY
Sweden
DESIGNED BY
Heart Aerospace
WEBSITE
https://heartaerospace.com
Heart Aerospace
Electrifying regional air travel
How does it work?
Heart Aerospace believes air travel should be integrated into, not separated from, our towns and communities. Their zero-emissions, low-noise aircraft can operate on 750m runways, making new use of the vast network of small airports close to city centres.
Why is it needed?
Air travel accounts for 2% of global CO2 emissions, and that share is expected to rise to 12-27% by 2050. 40% of worldwide emissions are from short-haul flights. Electric aircraft are the solution. These planes have zero operational emissions, and the lowest infrastructural footprint of all modes of regional transport.
How does it improve life?
Electrification changes the equation for regional air travel. Electric aircraft are affordable to buy, operate and maintain. Simple, reliable electric motors reduce maintenance costs by 90% compared to turboprops, and intelligent electronic monitoring reduces inspection needs. Most importantly, fuel costs go down by 50-75%.
Heart Aerospace will deliver the first ES-19 electric airliner certified for commercial flight by 2026.