Electric aircraft

In plain language

An electric aircraft uses electric motors to turn its propellers or fans. The motors take their power either from batteries alone, or from batteries working alongside a fuel-burning engine. The second design is called hybrid-electric. The difference matters because jet fuel stores much more energy for its weight than today's batteries. A battery also stays on board for the whole flight, while fuel gets lighter as it is burned.

Batteries currently suit small aircraft and short trips best. EASA announced the type certification of the Pipistrel Velis Electro, a two-seat trainer, in June 2020. Larger designs are still at the demonstration stage. In July 2026, NASA and GE Aerospace reported a hybrid-electric system flying on a modified Saab 340B. In August 2026, Heart Aerospace flew its full-scale X1 demonstrator. These flights show that the systems can operate in the air. They do not show that the aircraft save fuel in everyday service, or that airlines can run them profitably.

Technical explanation

Battery mass is the central constraint, and it is a whole-system problem rather than a cell problem. NASA's electrified aircraft FAQ names weight as the main obstacle, because a heavier aircraft needs more power to stay airborne. The same FAQ states that in current power systems roughly a fifth of energy is lost as heat that must be cooled. A designer must also carry reserves, power the climb, keep batteries within safe temperatures, distribute high-voltage power, and keep enough payload and range after the whole battery, cooling, wiring and protection system is installed. Cell-level energy figures leave out that packaging, so they must be compared at pack level, after reserves and ageing.

The architecture changes the outcome. In battery-electric designs, batteries supply all propulsion energy. In hybrid-electric designs, a fuel engine and electric machines share the work, so the battery may provide take-off boost or short electric legs, but a hybrid flight still burns fuel. Turboelectric designs use a turbine to drive generators and motors, and fuel-cell designs convert hydrogen on board. NASA's design exploration of electrified turboprop and turbofan concepts, assuming a battery specific energy of 500 Wh/kg, found significant fuel savings and modest energy savings for turboprop concepts of 18, 48 and 70 passengers, but no fuel or energy benefit for the turbofan concepts studied. These are model-based results. The cost analysis found that the most promising electrified designs were not competitive with their baselines, mainly because of the higher depreciation and interest costs of heavier, more expensive aircraft.

Certification is also new ground. EASA certified the ENGINeUS 100 B1 electric engine under special condition SC E-19 in February 2025, and planned its first installation on a two-seat aircraft. EASA identifies high-voltage electrical arcing as the fire risk in an electric engine, and says a worst-case scenario was defined, tested and mitigated so that a pilot could land safely. An engine approval does not certify the aircraft that uses it, so each airframe installation still needs its own certification.

What the evidence says

Each statement is typed by the strength of its evidence and linked to the source that supports it.

Limitations and open problems

• Battery mass stays on board for the whole flight, while fuel mass falls as it is burned, so every extra kilogram of battery adds weight throughout the mission.
• Usable range depends on payload, reserves, weather, diversion needs and battery ageing. Manufacturer range figures are design targets under stated assumptions.
• The Velis Electro certificate does not show that a larger battery-electric passenger aircraft is certifiable. Certification is specific to each design, including its airframe, propulsion, batteries, software and maintenance system.
• A hybrid-electric flight is not zero-emission. Zero operational CO2 on all-electric routes does not mean zero life-cycle emissions, which depend on the electricity source.
• Heart Aerospace's X1 is a full-scale demonstrator, not a passenger aircraft. Its August 2026 release refers to the ES-30, while its product page names the ES-36. The range and entry-into-service figures for the planned aircraft are company targets.
• NASA's 2026 hybrid-electric flight release gives no quantified fuel-burn or cost reduction, and the NASA design study results depend on the battery and technology assumptions stated in the study.

Possible future uses

Timeline

1. 10 Jun 2020EASA announces the type certification of the Pipistrel Velis Electro, a two-seat electric trainer that EASA describes as the first type certification of a fully electric aircraft worldwide. Sources: [4]
2. 4 Feb 2025EASA certifies the Safran ENGINeUS 100 B1 electric engine under special condition SC E-19. Sources: [5]
3. 20 Jul 2026NASA and GE Aerospace report a megawatt-class hybrid-electric system flying on a modified Saab 340B, and say it is the first hybrid-electric powered aircraft to fly above 30,000 feet. Sources: [1]
4. 12 Aug 2026Heart Aerospace's X1 full-scale battery-electric demonstrator makes its first flight under an FAA experimental certificate, reported as a 27-minute piloted mission. Sources: [2]
5. 2031Heart Aerospace's stated target for entry into service of the ES-36 hybrid-electric regional aircraft. This is a company target and has not been confirmed. Sources: [3]

Futures this could help bring about

How far away?

Battery-electric passenger flights

Engineering prototypes · 5 of 8 steps done

How far away?

Cars and planes whose body is the battery

Science demonstrated · 2 of 6 steps done

Glossary

Hybrid-electric aircraft

An aircraft in which a fuel-burning engine and electric machines both contribute to propulsion, or in which an engine drives a generator that powers electric motors.

Specific energy

The energy stored per unit of mass, usually in watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg). For aircraft, batteries should be compared at pack level, after reserves and ageing.

Type certificate

Approval from an aviation regulator that a particular aircraft or engine design meets the applicable airworthiness rules.

Special condition

A regulator-issued set of requirements for a design feature that existing rules do not fully cover, such as electric propulsion.

Sources

1. government report
   NASA, GE Aerospace Work Enables Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstration
   Robert Margetta. NASA, 20 Jul 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
2. company announcement
   Heart Aerospace Completes First Flight of World's Largest Electric Aircraft
   Heart Aerospace, 13 Aug 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
3. company announcement
   ES-36 | Heart Aerospace
   Heart Aerospace, 2026. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
4. government report
   EASA certifies electric aircraft, first type certification for fully electric plane world-wide
   European Union Aviation Safety Agency, 10 Jun 2020. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
5. government report
   How EASA certified Safran's ENGINeUS 100 electric engine
   European Union Aviation Safety Agency, 4 Feb 2025. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
6. government report
   Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Frequently Asked Questions
   NASA, 31 Dec 2025. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
7. conference paper
   Results for an Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Design Exploration
   Ty V. Marien, Nathaniel J. Blaesser, Zachary J. Frederick et al.. AIAA/IEEE Electrification Technologies Symposium, Aug 2021. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.

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