Aug 19, 2026
The world’s largest battery-electric aircraft has completed its first flight using just $5 worth of electricity, with Heart Aerospace’s 25,000-pound X1 demonstrator flying for 27 minutes and putting a megawatt-scale electric propulsion system through its first airborne test.
Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator flew for 27 minutes from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York, climbing to 1,100 feet, with its electric propulsion system delivering more than one megawatt of power. The aircraft weighs more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff and has a 106-foot wingspan, making it the largest fully electric aircraft yet to fly, according to Heart Aerospace.
The $5 fuel cost faces down current U.S. jet fuel prices of around $3.50 per gallon, up 63% from a year earlier, according to Heart. The EIA expects wholesale jet fuel to average $3.37 per gallon across 2026, while IATA estimates airlines will spend roughly $350 billion on fuel this year, accounting for nearly a third of operating costs.
Any direct comparison of costs between the X1 and conventional aircraft is not currently relevant, as the X1 does not carry passengers and is not intended for commercial service. However, the flight did put Heart’s megawatt-scale electric propulsion system into the air on an aircraft weighing more than 25,000 pounds.
At more than 25,000 pounds, the X1 is much bigger than earlier electric aircraft and closer to the weight of a small commercial regional airliner. It is being used to develop Heart’s planned 30-seat ES-30. The ES-30 hybrid-electric is designed to fly up to 125 miles entirely on batteries and as far as 500 miles using its hybrid system. Charging is targeted at 30 minutes. Heart expects the ES-30 to cut aircraft operating costs by more than 40% compared with existing regional aircraft, with commercial service targeted for 2031.
Major airlines are already betting on the technology. Heart says the ES-30 has attracted $9.4 billion in customer commitments, including from United Airlines and Air Canada. The company is building its first pre-production ES-30 at its Los Angeles pilot manufacturing plant, with flight testing scheduled for 2028.
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