Swedish hybrid-electric aeroplane manufacturer Heart Aerospace has unveiled its first full-scale demonstrator, ES-30.
The aircraft, named Heart Experimental 1 (Heart X1), was built almost entirely at Heart’s Gothenburg hangar and features a 32-metre wingspan, 30-passenger standard seating capacity, an electric zero-emission range of 200 kilometres and an extended hybrid range of 400 kilometres. The demonstrator will be used to develop the manufacturer’s ES-30, initially with ground-based testing such as charging, taxiing, and turnaround procedures, before potentially taking its first fully electric flight in Q2 2025.
“Our industry is approaching a 30-year innovation cycle, and we have less than 25 years to decarbonise aviation. We need to develop new methods to get net zero aerospace technologies to market faster,” said Anders Forslund, co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace. “It is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of our team that we’re able to roll out a 30-seat aircraft demonstrator with a brand-new propulsion system, largely inhouse, in less than two years.”
The Heart X1 was partially funded through grants from the Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova. Once the tests and data from the first demonstrator have been analysed, the manufacturer will focus on building a pre-production prototype called the Heart X2, which is scheduled to take a hybrid-electric flight in 2026.
“Developing innovative net zero aerospace technologies demands a revolution in product development and manufacturing, much like what we’ve witnessed in the automotive and space industries,” said Ben Stabler, Chief Technology Officer at Heart Aerospace.
Heart Aerospace won a $4.1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Fuelling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) programme in August. The company will use the funds to develop its hybrid-electric propulsion management system and hopes to achieve type certification for the ES-30 by 2030.
Photo: Heart Aerospace
