Dutch startup Elysian says electric flight may be closer than you think

They day you get to book an all-electric flight may be closer than you think if Dutch startup Elysian Aircraft gets its way. Their new E9X commercial airliner promises flights that are a whole lot quieter, and at prices that are whole lot less dependent on dumb oil wars.

Aircraft account for more than 2% of global heating when CO₂ and other emissions are taken into account, with the share considerably higher in wealthy countries, according to data cited by climate campaign group Stay Grounded. Elysian Aircraft is keenly aware of the industry’s climate impact, and they believe their planned full-size electric airliner will be perfectly positioned to make a dramatic difference.

“By being able to transport 90 passengers for initially 800 kilometers and eventually 1,000 kilometers you can reduce emissions to zero, from half the world’s flights,” Elysian co-founder Daniel Jacobson told EuroNews. “That is a very large amount of flight activity in the world. And you reduce total emissions from aerospace by 20%.”

The thing, itself

At the core of those ambitious emission-reduction goals is the Elysian E9X aircraft. Designed in collaboration with aerospace researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), the E9X packs its oversized wings with modular battery packs, sending power to six propellers driven by electric motors.

Specs on those haven’t been revealed, but the E9X is designed to carry up to 100 passengers up to 1,000 km (~620 miles) from where they started. Elysian says that’s enough range to handle nearly 50% of scheduled commercial passenger flights worldwide and potentially eliminate 20% of total in-flight emissions when the plane enters service in 2034.

That said, the E9X is far more than “just a concept,” and Elysian has completed its second conceptual design review and flown a scaled demonstrator in concert with Germany’s DLR aerospace research center, demonstrating how its unique battery packaging solutions address the challenges of integrating heavy battery packs into an aircraft’s wings (where fuel is traditionally stored).

The company is also working with airline partners KLM and Transavia to explore the operational and commercial requirements for putting electric airliners into service, with aircraft lessor TrueNoord investigating how the E9X could be financed and supported commercially.

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