Largest Battery-Electric Plane Set for Takeoff in 2033: Will Its Extended Flight Range Change Aviation?

Electric vehicles have been pushed for decades. Now, one startup company is planning to put the largest-ever fully electric concept plane into the sky in about a decade.

The Elysian E9X, a 90-seater plane that is expected to one day travel up to 620 miles, is expected to be ready for flight in 2033, Knewz.com has learned.

The Elysian E9X is designed to carry 90 passengers. By: Elysian Aircraft

“This aircraft, designed for regional routes, showcases the potential of battery-electric aviation as a scalable and economically viable option compared to traditional aviation, setting the stage for a zero-emission future of the industry,” Elysian Aircraft, based in the Netherlands, states on its website.

Elysian Aircraft states that the new, massive plane has the potential to reduce 20 percent of all aviation CO2 emissions.

The company also touts that the plane achieves five times higher efficiency per passenger mile than hydrogen- or SAF-powered aircraft.

The E9X is fully electric. By: Elysian Aircraft

The plane is coming to fruition through Elysian’s partnership with Delft University of Technology, which wrote two papers published January 4 in the journal American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

According to the second paper, current battery technology is equipped for only short-range flights of up to 250 miles.

“Battery-electric aviation is commonly believed to be limited to small aircraft and is therefore expected have a negligible impact on the decarbonization of the aviation sector. In this paper we argue that, with the correct choice of design parameters and top-level aircraft requirements, the addressable market is actually substantial,” the paper states.

The plane is designed to have batteries in its wings. By: Elysian Aircraft

The second paper, authored by Reynard de Vries, Rob E. Wolleswinkel, Maurice Hoogreef and Roelof Vos, also argues that planes such as the Elysian E9X can revolutionize the industry.

“These results indicate that, to successfully reduce the climate impact of the aviation sector, battery-electric aircraft should not be designed as a niche product operating from small airfields but as commercial transport aircraft competing with fuel-based regional and narrowbody aircraft,” the paper concludes.

Elysian plans to have the E9X to take flight by 2033. By: Elysian Aircraft

Simay Akar, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers senior member and the CEO and founder of AK Energy Consulting, told Live Science that the paper’s assertions “would depend on breakthroughs in battery energy density, weight, and efficiency to achieve such ambitious goals.”

According to Live Science, the plane will feature batteries integrated into the wings, a low-wing configuration, as well as folding wingtips. The authors compared the environmental effects to those of electric vehicles.

However, the size and amount of energy needed for a plane presents some obstacles.

Elysian Aircraft states that new, massive plane has the potential to reduce 20 percent of all aviation CO2 emissions. By: Elysian Aircraft

“High density battery technology is one of the challenges at this moment, because scaling up production and further improving density remain crucial for widespread adoption,” Akar told the outlet. “360 Wh/kg energy density is a significant leap from current battery technology and crucial for an electric plane’s range. Also, ground infrastructure and regulations still need to adapt to accommodate electric aircraft prior to the targeted timeline.”

Though the E9X is expected to be the biggest electric plane, it’s not the first. The first electric passenger plane was Eviation Alice, which can accommodate up to nine passengers and two crew members.