Sustainability at its heart
ERA recently welcomed Heart Aerospace, an electric airplane company based in Gothenburg, Sweden, into membership. We hear more from the pioneering manufacturer.
Heart Aerospace has a clear vision: to create the world’s greenest, most affordable, and most accessible form of transport. This mission is grounded in the outlook that electric air travel will become the new normal for regional flights and can be transformational in addressing the industry’s key ustainability challenges.
The Swedish company was founded in 2018 to create a product to meet the demand for electric aircraft in the Nordic market, following Norway’s mandate to make all short-haul flights electric by 2040.
Though it started out small, as a niche product for the Nordic market, Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace says: “It turns out it has a much more global appeal. The response has been beyond our expectations.”
Cost-effective, sustainable solution
Heart recently shared its new airplane design, the ES-30; a regional electric airplane with a capacity of 30 passengers, replacing the company’s earlier 19-seat design, the ES-19. “With the ES-30 we can start cutting emissions from air travel well before the end of this decade,” confirms Forslund.
The aircraft is a cost-efficient airplane that, on top of significant fuel savings, is cheaper to operate than a larger turboprop due to its electric propulsion. Driven by electric motors powered by batteries, this allows the airplane to operate with zero emissions and low noise. Specifically, the airplane will include a reserve-hybrid configuration, consisting of two turbo generators powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The reserve-hybrid system is installed to secure reserve energy requirements without cannibalising battery range, and it can also be used during cruise on longer flights to complement the electrical power provided by the batteries.
This gives the airplane a fully electric range of 200km, an extended range of 400km with 30 passengers, and flexibility to fly up to 800km with 25 passengers, all-inclusive of typical airline reserves. The airplane has also been designed to accommodate battery technology evolution, which will increase its fully electric range and make it even more cost efficient over time.
“The significantly reduced direct operating costs enable electric aircraft to develop new routes, or restore legacy routes, that were not profitable with gas turbine powered aircraft. This offers a unique opportunity to improve regional air mobility and connectivity for everyone.”
Strategic development
The electric propulsion system is novel in this industry, and therefore is the most technically challenging aspect by definition. However, Heart has chosen to minimise technical risks or challenges in almost all other aspects, which is why the company has chosen a conventional high-wing, low-speed aircraft, with traditional aluminium construction.
Electric aircraft will not be viable for long-haul routes anytime soon, and therefore, Heart recognises that it is only part of the solution for decarbonising air travel. However, according to the company, what sets electric aircraft apart are the unit economics. Whereas biofuels today are much more expensive than fossil fuels, and hydrogen aircraft would require a whole new infrastructure and operations, electric aircraft present a major cost advantage to airlines. Further, the ubiquity of the electricity network makes it relatively easy for airports to install chargers.
Heart Aerospace recently announced that it will establish the world’s first commercial electric aircraft industry at Säve Airport, in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company will build sustainable state-of-the-art offices, production and flight test facilities which, together, will form a new campus which will go by the name the Northern Runway.
“We have a plan and it’s not just to build a new electric airplane, but a whole new industry,” explains the CEO. “Sweden is the origin of flight shame, an anti-flying movement, but with Northern Runway we will make electric air travel a reality and preserve flying for future generations.”
The Northern Runway campus will form part of the Castellum-owned development area Gateway Säve, where a unique site
for sustainable logistics and electric mobility is being developed. A first phase is scheduled to be finalised by mid-2024, with test flights scheduled to start in 2026.
Industry collaboration and expansion
Heart Aerospace’s Industry Advisory Board consists of 21 members representing airlines, leasing companies and airports
from all over the world.
“We aim to electrify regional air travel, but we cannot do this alone. Decarbonising air travel requires a collective effort. With our partnerships we can impact the entire aviation ecosystem from creating more efficient airplanes to enabling more accessible airports. All of which bring convenience, affordability and responsibility to the flying public,” says Forslund.
In fact, ERA members Braathens Regional Airlines, DAT, London City Airport, Rockton and SAS, have all signed up to advise in the development of the ES-30.
“We believe that electric air travel can be transformational in addressing the industry’s key sustainability challenges, and we
look forward to working with ERA in shaping the future of regional air travel in Europe.”