First test flight of largest all-electric aircraft used just $5 of electricity
Summary
Ars Technica reports on Heart Aerospace's X1 demonstrator, the largest all-electric aircraft to fly, costing only about $5 in electricity for a nearly 30-minute flight. The test flight at Plattsburgh, powered by four wing-mounted electric motors delivering over 1 MW, informs development of a hybrid-electric regional airliner (ES-30) and suggests potential cost and emissions benefits, though commercial viability remains years away.