A major moment in aviation is just around the corner as Swedish company Heart Aerospace prepares to launch the largest all-electric aircraft ever built.
The experimental aircraft, known as the Heart X1, will take off for its first test flight in early 2025 from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York.
The goal of this flight is to test the electric propulsion system that Heart has been working on since its founding in 2019. The X1 is roughly the same size as the company’s upcoming commercial plane, the ES-30, which is designed to carry 30 passengers. This test is a big step for Heart, which has already raised $145 million to bring cleaner, regional flights to life.
The X1 will help show if Heart’s electric motors can perform in real flight conditions. While the company hasn’t confirmed the range of this test aircraft, the commercial ES-30 is expected to offer up to 124 miles of all-electric range and 250 miles when using its hybrid system. Heart built the X1 with a wingspan of 105 feet, matching the ES-30 in size, to gather meaningful data for future development.
The upcoming ES-30 aircraft is designed to operate on shorter runways—just over 3,600 feet long—making it ideal for smaller airports. Heart wants to connect remote and underserved areas, not compete with large airlines. Its vision is to link communities that are often left out of air travel networks, using what it calls “pocket airports,” which only require about two acres of space.
Other companies are also chasing electric flight. For example, ZeroAvia is developing a hydrogen-electric aircraft for island regions, and Dutch startup Elysian is working on a battery-powered plane that could carry 90 passengers by 2033. But Heart’s X1 could be the first of its kind to fly as early as next year.
Before that can happen, Heart is running intensive tests on the X1’s systems to make sure the flight is safe. If all goes well, the company plans to launch the X2—another test aircraft featuring a hybrid engine—in 2026. These efforts will lead to the official debut of the ES-30 in 2028.
For now, aviation fans can get a taste of the future by flying the ES-30 in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. But by 2025, electric planes may be taking off for real, starting a new chapter in cleaner air travel.