Investors are betting billions on air travel’s next big things, from all-electric air taxis to supersonic jetliners. The chief executive of aerospace startup Electra says he’s looking to deliver a practical option: a hybrid-electric plane that can take off and land—quickly and quietly—on a surface no bigger than a soccer field.
“It’s just an airplane,” says Marc Allen, who was a Boeing executive before becoming Electra’s CEO last year. But he believes this hybrid, also known as an “ultra short,” will answer travelers’ desire to fly without traffic-clogged trips to the airport, long security lines or inconvenient connections. Helicopters are too loud and expensive, and small jets still must use traditional airports, while air taxis have limited range, he says. “We’re consolidating these existing technologies in a totally unique and novel way to finally deliver direct aviation, to make it real.”
Electra is attempting something quite innovative with hybrid aircraft, which operate using both jet fuel and electric power. The nine-seater EL9 employs eight propellers to direct airflow over the wings, effectively recreating the lift typically achieved by accelerating down a runway. This method, referred to as “blown lift,” enables the plane to achieve liftoff from much shorter runways. Unlike conventional small planes that require minimum speeds of about 70 knots—approximately 80 mph—and necessitate runways longer than 1,500 feet, Electra’s model can ascend into flight when traveling just half that speed and only needs to cover roughly 150 feet before lifting off within a total runway length of 300 feet.
Supported by Lockheed Martin, this five-year-old Virginia-based start-up plans to get the EL9 airborne by 2029. Electra has been testing a two-seater EL2 prototype over several months now. According to sources knowledgeable about the pricing, the aircraft will likely retail at approximately $10 million; however, considering standard industry discounts, it might end up selling closer to $5 million. The firm claims that purchasing and operating the plane would come out to roughly one-third less than what you’d pay for a helicopter.
Allen discussed his vision with The Wall Street Journal.
Traveling by air can be quite anxiety-inducing for many individuals. This represents a distinct sort of departure. What strategies would you use to assure the general population about their safety?
Initially, the propulsion system exhibits significant overlap with multiple components working in tandem. This includes a hybrid-electric turbine generator, several batteries, and electric motors positioned near the wings. Should the turbine generator encounter an issue, the batteries can seamlessly take over for power supply. In case one battery malfunctions, there are three others plus a fuel-operated turbo generator as backup options. Even if all four batteries were to fail simultaneously, reliance could be placed on the turbo generator alone.
Then consider an aircraft capable of making an emergency descent and landing in just 300 feet rather than searching for multiple thousand feet of runway.
What’s the difference between how this works and a hybrid car? At what point does the battery kick in? When does the motor become involved?
The technology ensures a smooth experience for the pilot. Once the pilot gives the command for thrust, the system manages the task of sourcing the required power, deciding between the turbo generator, batteries, or even combining both sources as needed.
Many individuals find the most unpleasant aspect of travel to be visiting an airport. Is it possible for people to completely bypass airports in the future?
This aircraft boasts an extremely short landing capability and, due to its minimal noise output, you can arrive in residential areas quietly. These attributes enable travelers to reach very distinctive, highly accessible locations.
Ultra-short aircraft can penetrate environments similar to helicopters without clogging established flight paths; they can touch down on ramps and taxiways near jet terminals instead. Imagine being able to reach an ultra-short takeoff location just 200 miles from a major hub such as Dulles Airport right from your house. From there, you could land at Dulles and then hop into a complimentary vehicle for the last leg of your journey to board the plane bound for London. This would significantly streamline travel and reduce overall transit times.
Why isn’t this simply powered by a battery?
Currently, batteries are not advanced enough to provide an adequate payload range.
[At this point, the sound of an aircraft passing overhead at the journalist’s position became audible.]
That sounded to me like conventional aviation. People are blown away when they come to watch EL2 fly and realize that on the all-electric takeoffs and landings they can’t hear a thing other than the birds in the background.
Could that be unsettling?
Nobody enjoys raising their voice just to converse. Each of us can recall the initial instance when a Tesla passed by in front of us, causing our heads to turn as we hadn’t noticed the vehicle’s presence. Initially, this situation felt somewhat disconcerting. However, nowadays, we appreciate how electric cars help decrease noise pollution around us. Similarly, I believe the transition to quieter aircraft will follow suit.
How does it feel to be inside an airplane?
Once you board, you might find yourself feeling somewhat uninterested as the experience closely resembles boarding an aircraft. What will catch your attention is during landing; you’ll feel much higher up than expected before it begins to descend slowly, at about the speed of a car. Consequently, upon touching down at the exit point, you’ll be moving around 25 miles per hour and then gradually halt.
What direction will this take? Will we witness Electra flying across the sea, traversing the nation, or growing as large as a 737?
Our group is currently engaged under a research contract with the U.S. government to investigate innovative approaches using hybrid-electric blown lift technology to develop new functionalities. A key aspect we’re examining involves leveraging this significant lifting capability provided by our electric system design to utilize wings considerably smaller compared to those found on typical large aircraft. This isn’t aimed at enabling shorter takeoffs or landings; rather, it seeks substantial reductions in fuel consumption. Larger wings mean greater surface areas which increase drag, leading to higher fuel usage. It’s quite intriguing when you consider these dynamics.
In our present world, only 20% of living humans have experienced flying. So, how do we develop innovations that will make air travel both affordable and widely available enough for everyone across the globe to be able to fly?
You mentioned your work with the military. What could these military applications look like?
The technology we’re talking about has profound implications for military and commercial use. On the military side, this is an airplane that can fly 1,000 pounds for 1,000 [nautical] miles and land on an unimproved surface in austere conditions. Think about what it means to be able to fly over hundreds of miles of open water and land with a logistics payload in a place only helicopters can get into.
The additional benefit is that it serves as its own power generation system. Once you’ve imagined a Chinook helicopter transporting a generator to an operational base suspended from chains beneath it, you would not envision such a scene anymore. The EL9 simply lands, acting as a 600-kilowatt generator. This capability allows it to supply energy for communications centers, command posts, recharge and deploy drones, and even run directed-energy weapons systems.
There is significant attention focused on helicopter traffic following the accident at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. What steps can be taken to make regulators and airports feel secure about incorporating another kind of aircraft into the air space?
For the past few years, we’ve collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration’s emerging-technology team. One thing that has been particularly inspiring from these interactions is how committed the FAA is to fostering innovation aimed at enhancing our air-traffic systems and aircraft. This collaboration also strongly validates our strategy, which involves developing solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructures. Unlike numerous other advanced air mobility systems, we do not require additional regulatory frameworks.
Send your letter to Sharon Terlep.
sharon.terlep@wsj.com
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