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Heart Aerospace’s X1 Completes First Piloted Flight of Largest Battery-Electric Plane

Flight data will advance Heart’s megawatt electric-propulsion tests and feed development of its ES-30 hybrid regional airliner.

Overview

  • The X1 demonstrator flew a piloted, all-electric 27-minute test that reached about 1,100 feet and delivered more than one megawatt of propulsion power.
  • Heart reported the flight used roughly $5 of electricity, a figure that measures raw energy consumed and does not include crew, maintenance, battery lifecycle or other operating costs.
  • The X1 is a full‑scale technology demonstrator for the planned 30-seat ES-30; Heart says it will use X1 flight data to refine systems as it builds a pre‑production ES-30 in Los Angeles.
  • Heart has scheduled flight testing of the first pre‑production ES-30 for 2028 and is targeting commercial entry in 2031, goals the company describes as targets that remain subject to technical and certification risk.
  • Because current battery energy density limits all‑electric range to about 124–125 miles, Heart plans a hybrid ES-30 with a combustion range‑extender to reach roughly 497–500 miles, and major carriers including United, Air Canada and JSX have publicly committed to the program.