Sweden’s Heart Aerospace to electrify regional aircraft; airframe and wing to be made from lightweight aluminium

Heart Aerospace, the Swedish aviation start-up communicated that it plans to build a 19-seat all-electric commercial aircraft that will fly by mid-2026.

On 23^rd September’20, Gothenburg based firm presented its regional aircraft design dubbed “ES-19”, which will have a range of about 222nm (400km). Initially, the company will be focusing on the Nordic countries; however, it has received inquiries from operators in North America and Asia as well.

Heart Aerospace aims to change the world by reducing carbon output with its fossil-fuel-free concept.

Anders Forslund, CEO and Founder of Heart Aerospace said: “We have the potential to reinvent air travel.”

The aviation industry accounts for about 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to ICAO, with about 40% of that coming from short-haul flights. Heart’s Founder believes that alternative-fuel technology such as electric propulsion is the solution to radically cut the environmental impact of these regional connections.

The zero-emissions ES-19 will be able to land and take off on runways as short as 800m (2,640ft), enabling the aircraft to use airfields that are much closer to population centres, thereby also reducing travel time significantly.

The CEO also said: “The pendulum has been swinging to hubs, using larger aircraft and reducing the unit costs. But we now have the technology that will enable us to fly smaller aircraft economically again, catering to people who are tired of going to large airports and the hassle of all that just to take a short flight.”

“We will reduce the door-to-door time quite significantly,” he adds.

Forslund said: “Besides to the environmental benefits of relinquishing fossil fuels, electric propulsion is quieter and more cost-effective as electric engines are more efficient and have fewer moving parts. The aircraft will consist of a lightweight conventional aluminium airframe and wing.”

It is currently backed by Swedish venture capital firm EQT Ventures as well as the Nordic and European Union governments. With this funding, the company is now seeking to tier-one airframe suppliers.