GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Sept. 12,
2024 /CNW/ -- Heart Aerospace, the Swedish
hybrid-electric airplane maker, today unveils its first full-scale
demonstrator airplane, marking a major milestone in the development
of its regional hybrid-electric aircraft, the ES-30.
Built almost entirely in-house at Heart's Gothenburg facilities, the demonstrator
reflects the company's strategy to simultaneously develop both the
design and production processes.
"Our industry is approaching a 30-year innovation cycle, and we
have less than 25 years to decarbonize aviation. We need to develop
new methods to get net zero aerospace technologies to market
faster," says Anders Forslund,
co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace. "It is a testament to the
ingenuity and dedication of our team that we're able to roll out a
30-seat aircraft demonstrator with a brand-new propulsion system,
largely inhouse, in less than two years. "
With a commanding 32-meter wingspan, the demonstrator, named
Heart Experimental 1 (Heart X1), will serve as a platform for
rigorous testing and development of Heart's ES-30 aircraft.
Initially, the HX-1 will be used for ground-based testing,
focusing on charging operations, taxiing, and turnaround
procedures. It is scheduled to undertake a fully electric first
flight in the second quarter of 2025. In preparation for this
flight, Heart will over the coming months, test critical systems by
running hardware tests both on and off the airplane.
Development of the Heart X1 has been funded in part by grants
provided by the Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova, highlighting
the essential collaboration between government and industry that is
needed to bring new aviation technologies to market.
"Developing innovative net-zero propulsion aerospace
technologies demands a revolution in product development and
manufacturing, much like what we've witnessed in the automotive and
space industries," said Ben Stabler,
Chief Technology Officer at Heart Aerospace.
Building on the experience of developing the Heart X1, Heart is
now focused on creating a state-of-the-art aircraft manufacturing
process that leans into the latest technologies in composite
manufacturing and product lifecycle management, building a
data-driven assembly line with high repeatability, automation and
non-destructive inspection.
Heart's next step in developing the ES-30 is the building of a
pre-production prototype, the Heart X2, which will further mature
the design and production methods based on lessons learned from the
Heart X1.
The Heart X2 is scheduled for a hybrid flight in 2026 and will
demonstrate the company's Independent Hybrid propulsion system. In
August, Heart Aerospace was selected for a $4.1 million grant by the Federal Aviation
Administration's (FAA) Fuelling Aviation's Sustainable Transition
(FAST) program to develop the management system for the
hybrid-electric propulsion.
This momentum will continue with the establishment of a pilot
manufacturing plant to accelerate prototyping toward the
manufacturing of a fully conforming aircraft, with Heart targeting
type certification of the ES-30 by the end of the decade.
The ES-30 is a regional hybrid-electric airplane with a standard
seating capacity of 30 passengers, which promises to deliver
unparalleled sustainability and efficiency on short-haul routes.
With an electric zero-emission range of 200 kilometres and an
extended hybrid range of 400 kilometres.
For more details join our live stream presentation at 13.00
CET, September 12th.
Please find more images and video here.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Heart Aerospace
Email:
press@heartaerospace.com
Phone: +46 728 889 610
Christina Zander
christina.zander@heartaerospace.com
About Heart Aerospace
At Heart Aerospace we work at the cutting edge of technology
while contributing towards a sustainable future. Heart's mission is
to decarbonize and democratize air travel. This mission is grounded
in the outlook that electric air travel will become the new normal
for regional flights and can be transformational in addressing the
industry's key sustainability challenges.
www.heartaerospace.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/heart-aerospace-unveils-first-full-scale-demonstrator-for-30-seat-hybrid-electric-airplane-302243860.html
SOURCE Heart Aerospace AB