!["Our main goal is to convert ground trips involving four- to eight-hour drives [into sub-regional flights]."](https://www.thecooldown.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-182.jpg?w=1920&h=800)
Dutch startup Electron Aerospace has unveiled its luxurious all-electric aircraft that it expects to begin delivering to buyers by 2028.
The company shared an early look at the design with The Jet Business (@TheJetBusiness), which wondered whether the sleek plane could be the future of corporate aviation.
"Our main goal is to convert ground trips involving four- to eight-hour drives [into sub-regional flights]," Electron Aerospace co-founder and CEO Josef Mouris said in an interview with AIN.
If companies began using all-electric aircraft, they would prevent large amounts of harmful pollution from entering our atmosphere.
In 2021, the European Federation for Transport and Environment found that "private jets are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes (per passenger) and 50 times more polluting than trains." This led the umbrella organization to recommend regulators ban the use of dirty-fuel-powered planes for private jet flights under 621 miles in Europe.
According to AIN, the startup's original goal was to lease and operate electric planes, but nothing on the market caught its eye.
While Tesla helped to mainstream electric vehicles in the early 2000s, companies are just beginning to reach new heights in the development of electric aircraft. The world's first all-electric "Alice" passenger plane took flight in 2022, per CNN.
"The [two-seat] Pipistrel [Electro] is too small, and the [nine-seat] Eviation Alice still had uncertifiable engines on the wing tip back then and is simply too big for the market we want to address," Mouris explained to AIN.
He added that eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft, which are gaining ground as short-distance taxi solutions, wouldn't have the ideal range and came with new regulatory hurdles.
To solve these issues, Electron Aerospace designed its own aircraft. According to The Jet Business, the plane has roughly 466 miles of range, and early renderings show a comfortable five-seat interior similar to that of the Cirrus Vision Jet, or Mercedes V-Class car.
On its website, the startup notes that the comfortable plane is outfitted with USB chargers and foldable tables, while the engine is "quieter than your vacuum."
Meanwhile, the exterior drew inspiration from a stately seabird, according to Electron Aerospace head of design Alexander Klatt.
"Taking inspiration from the albatross, our Electron 5 features an aerodynamically efficient body, robust wings, and windows that mimic the bird's vigilant eyes," Klatt told AIN, noting that freight operators can request an aircraft with a side cargo door.
The all-electric plane has sold out two years of production, according to The Jet Business.
AIN added that Electron Aerospace intends to complete its aircraft certifications by the end of 2027, and the company is looking for additional investors.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
Cool Picks
