Electric Aircraft

ZeroAvia says it has successfully completed the first-ever flight of a commercial-scale electric-powered aircraft in the UK. On June 22, the company's HyFlyer aircraft with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain took off from Cranfield Airport, Bedfordshire.

Pipestrel's battery-powered Velis Electro aircraft has become the first world's electric airplane to be awarded type certification by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, marking the clearing of a major hurdle on its road towards commercial use.

The future of aviation is looking a little greener today with a nine-seat Cessna aircraft fitted out with an all electric propulsion system successfully completing its first flight, marking the maiden voyage for the world’s largest electric aircraft.

A Chinese team has demonstrated a prototype of a microwave plasma thruster capable of working in the Earth's atmosphere and producing thrust with an efficiency comparable to the jet engines you'd find on modern airliners – under laboratory conditions.

Just last month, air mobility company EHang announced plans to fly into Europe and set up shop in Seville, Spain. Now the firm has partnered with the City of Hezhou in Guangxi Province, China, to build a tourism-focused terminal for its air taxis.

NASA has released three concept art images showing its X-57 Maxwell all-electric X-plane in its final configuration. The X-57 is shown in its Mod IV form, which includes 5-ft diameter wingtip propellers to recover energy from wingtip vortices.

Back in January, China's EHang aced the first flight in the US of its two-seat autonomous air taxi. Now the company has agreed to develop the first Urban Air Mobility pilot program in Seville, Spain.

As is the case with electric cars, battery range is still very much an issue with pure-electric aircraft. Hybrid propeller-drive systems are perhaps a better way to go – for now – and a new one was recently the subject of a successful test flight.

DLR and Bauhaus Luftfahrt are studying how to make electric commuter aircraft practical. The CoCoRe project is using the example of a 19-seat hybrid-electric commuter aircraft to learn about the economics and environmental impact of the technology.

As part of plans to establish a flying taxi service in the region, and ultimately across the world, Volocopter has joined with ridesharing company Grab on a new feasibility study to uncover high-potential routes between megacities in Southeast Asia.

A super-endurance unmanned aircraft built for year-long flights has completed its maiden run. Built by BAE Systems subsidiary Prismatic, the PHASA-35 took to the air over the Woomera Test Range in Australia for its first fully-integrated flight test.

Hyundai has used the grand platform of CES 2020 to unveil its take on the future of urban mobility. At the heart of its plans is its S-A1, an electric flying taxi developed with Uber.