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    Air Canada buys 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft from Swedish startup

    Sept. 19, 2022
    The aircraft will be powered by lithium-ion batteries and also include reserve-hybrid generators, capable of running on SAF
    Photo by Air Canada.
    Air Canada 9 19 22 Article 3 6328d24b08780

    Air Canada signed a purchase agreement with Swedish startup Heart Aerospace for 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid aircraft. Under the agreement, the airline also acquired a $5 million equity stake in the startup.

    The new hybrid aircraft are expected to enter service in 2028, serving regional and commuter routes more sustainably. The ES-30 will be powered by lithium-ion batteries and have a smaller environmental footprint than conventional turbo-prop aircraft. The ES-30 will be able to carry 30 passengers and include a lavatory and a galley.

    The aircraft will be quieter, more reliable and have better operational parameters than conventional turbo-prop aircraft. It will also feature reserve-hybrid generators, which will run on sustainable aviation fuel.

    When fully loaded, the ES-30 is expected to provide a range of 200 km, which can be extended to 400 km when supplemented by generators and up to 800 km when the passenger load is limited to 25. The aircraft is expected to take 30 to 50 minutes to recharge.

    "Air Canada has taken a leadership position in the industry to address climate change. The introduction into our fleet of the ES-30 electric regional aircraft from Heart Aerospace will be a step forward to our goal of net zero emissions by 2050," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada. "Already, Air Canada is supporting the development of new technologies, such as sustainable aviation fuels and carbon capture, to address climate change. We are now reinforcing our commitment by investing in revolutionary electric aircraft technology, both as a customer for the ES-30 and as an equity partner in Heart Aerospace."

    "Air Canada is a strategically important partner for Heart Aerospace. The company has one of the world's largest networks operated by regional turboprops, and it is also a progressive, future leaning company especially in the green transmission," said Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace. "With the ES-30 we can start cutting emissions from air travel well before the end of this decade."

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.