First test flight of largest all-electric aircraft used just $5 of electricity
First test flight of largest all-electric aircraft used just $5 of electricity
全球最大全电动飞机首飞，电费仅需 5 美元
The first flight of the largest battery-electric aircraft to take to the skies lasted nearly half an hour while costing just $5 of electricity. That aviation feat comes at a time when jet fuel prices have skyrocketed because of the US war with Iran. 全球最大电池动力飞机完成了首次飞行，历时近半小时，而电费仅需 5 美元。这一航空壮举正值美国与伊朗冲突导致航空燃油价格飙升之际。
The test flight of Heart Aerospace’s X1 demonstrator aircraft took place at Plattsburgh International Airport in upstate New York on August 12. The X1 aircraft is comparable in size to a small regional airliner and can achieve a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 25,000 pounds with the help of four wing-mounted electric motors. The battery-electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power during the maiden flight. 8 月 12 日，Heart Aerospace 公司的 X1 验证机在纽约州北部的普拉茨堡国际机场进行了试飞。X1 的尺寸与小型支线客机相当，在四个翼装电动机的驱动下，最大起飞重量可超过 25,000 磅。在首飞过程中，其电池电力推进系统输出了超过 1 兆瓦的功率。
All-electric aircraft can offer quieter and cleaner flight without the emissions that come from burning jet fuel. They may also prove more reliably cost-effective than conventional aircraft that come with jet fuel costs subject to geopolitical disruptions. 全电动飞机能够提供更安静、更清洁的飞行体验，且不会产生燃烧航空燃油所带来的排放。与受地缘政治动荡影响、燃油成本不稳定的传统飞机相比，它们可能被证明更具成本效益。
But the initial success of the X1 demonstrator does not mean Heart Aerospace is planning to commercialize an all-electric aircraft. Current battery-electric systems can only typically sustain short flights of about 100 to 200 miles, which is why they have been limited to air taxi operations by companies such as Joby and Archer. 然而，X1 验证机的初步成功并不意味着 Heart Aerospace 计划将全电动飞机商业化。目前的电池电力系统通常只能维持 100 到 200 英里的短途飞行，这也是为什么它们目前仅限于 Joby 和 Archer 等公司的空中出租车业务。
Instead, testing of the X1 and a planned follow-on X2 aircraft will shape development of Heart Aerospace’s main offering to the airline industry—a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner known as the ES-30. That planned production aircraft for commercial flights would combine two inboard electric motors with commercial turboprop engines that run on jet fuel, enabling 125 miles of all-electric flight and 500 miles of flight range when operating in hybrid mode. 相反，X1 以及后续计划中的 X2 飞机的测试，将为 Heart Aerospace 面向航空业的主打产品——名为 ES-30 的 30 座混合动力支线客机——的开发提供参考。这款计划用于商业飞行的量产机型将结合两个内侧电动机和使用航空燃油的商用涡轮螺旋桨发动机，实现 125 英里的全电动飞行，并在混合动力模式下达到 500 英里的航程。
Looking to innovation as jet fuel prices rise
面对航空燃油价格上涨，寻求创新方案
Having the extended 500-mile range would enable the ES-30 hybrid-electric airliner to operate in popular short-haul corridors that connect major US and European cities. United Airlines has committed to eventually purchasing 100 aircraft from Heart Aerospace, with other major airline customers also having signed letters of intent, according to Flying magazine. Multiple airlines have also invested in Heart Aerospace’s development of the ES-30 aircraft, including United Airlines, Air Canada and Mesa Air Group. 拥有 500 英里的扩展航程，将使 ES-30 混合动力客机能够执飞连接美国和欧洲主要城市的热门短途航线。据《Flying》杂志报道，美联航已承诺最终从 Heart Aerospace 购买 100 架飞机，其他主要航空公司客户也已签署了意向书。包括美联航、加拿大航空和 Mesa Air Group 在内的多家航空公司也已投资了 Heart Aerospace 的 ES-30 项目。
Several issued statements celebrating the latest milestone. “Electric commercial aircraft have real potential to deliver a better travel experience for passengers while strengthening our business, and we look forward to Heart’s continued development of the ES-30 and its potential future role in United’s network,” Michael Leskinen, chief financial officer of United Airlines, said in a press release. 多家航空公司发表声明庆祝这一最新里程碑。美联航首席财务官 Michael Leskinen 在新闻稿中表示：“电动商用飞机在为乘客提供更好旅行体验的同时，也有潜力加强我们的业务。我们期待 Heart 继续开发 ES-30，并期待它未来在美联航航线网络中发挥作用。”
After starting out as a Swedish company, Heart Aerospace relocated to Los Angeles where it is developing the first pre-production ES-30 at a manufacturing facility. It anticipates flight testing starting in 2028 and aims to get certified for starting commercial service by 2031. Heart Aerospace 最初是一家瑞典公司，后来搬迁至洛杉矶，目前正在制造工厂开发首架 ES-30 预生产型飞机。公司预计将于 2028 年开始飞行测试，并目标在 2031 年前获得认证并投入商业运营。
Hybrid-electric aircraft may look even more promising at a time when jet fuel prices have soared around the world because of the US-Israeli war against Iran leading to major disruptions in Gulf energy exports typically shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. In the United States, jet fuel prices have increased from just over $2 per gallon before the start of the war in February 2022 to well over $3 per gallon. 在美以对伊战争导致通常经由霍尔木兹海峡运输的海湾能源出口严重中断，进而引发全球航空燃油价格飙升之际，混合动力飞机的前景显得更加广阔。在美国，航空燃油价格已从 2022 年 2 月战争爆发前的每加仑略高于 2 美元，上涨至每加仑远超 3 美元。
The global airline industry is expected to spend $350 billion on buying jet fuel in 2026 because of average jet fuel prices being up by almost 70 percent compared to the previous year, according to the International Air Transport Association. The increased spending on jet fuel now accounts for nearly a third of airlines’ operating costs and is expected to halve profits. 据国际航空运输协会（IATA）称，由于航空燃油平均价格较上年上涨近 70%，预计全球航空业在 2026 年将花费 3500 亿美元购买航空燃油。航空燃油支出的增加目前已占航空公司运营成本的近三分之一，预计将使利润减半。
Heart Aerospace is claiming that the hybrid-electric ES-30 could reduce airline costs of operating regional aircraft by more than 40 percent. If the production aircraft can deliver on that promise, it may prove one of the wiser investments that airlines have made in recent years. Heart Aerospace 声称，混合动力 ES-30 可以将航空公司运营支线飞机的成本降低 40% 以上。如果量产机型能够兑现这一承诺，这或许会被证明是航空公司近年来最明智的投资之一。