Could this be the future of regional air travel?

By Paul Brinkmann|November 13, 2024

Electra unveils its hybrid-electric passenger design

MANASSAS, Virginia — In a ceremony in a hangar here at the Manassas Regional Airport, Electra unveiled the design of its EL9 Ultra Short, a nine-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft that the company promises will be a “gateway” to a world of cleaner and more affordable regional air travel.

A video behind a low stage showed an animation of the gold and white aircraft emerging from a hangar, its eight wing-mounted propellers spinning to carry the piloted aircraft aloft. Another video showed an EL9 in U.S. Air Force livery landing in a mountainous area where troops were stationed, its turbogenerator serving as in-the-field generator for their electronics.

In an accompanying press release, Electra said each EL9 will be capable of taking off and landing in as little as 150 feet (45 meters), although the aircraft will be sold with a guarantee of 90-meter performance, executives told me before the event. The short takeoffs and landings are meant to make operations possible from grass fields and parking lots, in addition to small regional airports. This will enable “direct air service,” meaning a customer can board near their home or office.

For more about advanced air mobility, receive the True Mobility newsletter in your inbox.

The first EL9, a preproduction aircraft, is scheduled to be flown in 2027, followed by flights of a conforming aircraft for FAA credit testing — a step toward type certification — in late 2028 or early 2029, Electra CEO Marc Allen told me. Allen came to Electra in August after stepping down as Boeing’s chief strategy officer at the beginning of the year. He said he will focus on production, while John Langford, Electra’s founder and chairman, guides the business from the top.

So far, Electra has flown a two-seat demonstrator, the EL2 Goldfinch, built at its facility at Manassas Regional Airport. The company hasn’t yet decided where to build the EL9s.

Aside from its propellers, the EL9 bears some resemblance to a sleek corporate jet, with a rounded point at the nose and swept back, slanted cockpit windows. The propellers will be mounted below and along the leading edge of its wing to blow air at the wing during flight for additional lift. That’s how an EL9 pilot will manage to fly as slowly as 40 kph and achieve short takeoff and landing. Each will be powered by batteries and a gas turbogenerator in the rear of the fuselage that can charge the batteries in flight or provide current directly to the motors.

The design shows cockpit windows continuing back to the cabin to provide views for passengers. Electra believes its hybrid-electric propulsion will be attractive to tourism operators due to its low-speed capability, lower emissions and quieter operations than conventional aircraft.

Allen said an EL9 will fly up to 100 miles (160 km) relying largely on its batteries, which would result in a 60% reduction in carbon emissions compared to, for example, a Cessna Caravan flying a similar distance. The turbogenerator increases the range to 600 km.

“This aircraft is more than a new design — it’s the gateway to a cleaner, quieter, and more affordable future for regional travel,” Allen said in the press release.

Electra has attracted investment from aerospace giants Lockheed Martin Ventures, Honeywell and Safran. It has also received funding from AFWERX, a part of the U.S. Air Force that seeks to support and encourage innovative technology that can be adapted to military service.

Electra anticipates sales to the military, and for that reason has designed EL9 with a large cargo door that pops out from the fuselage and slides back, to enable rapid loading and unloading of cargo or troops for transport, Allen said. Landing gear is not retractable.

Among the crowd Wednesday was Gopal Rajaraman, a senior investment manager with Lockheed Martin Ventures, who said he doesn’t believe electric-only aircraft are suitable yet for the military. He said he views the hybrid-electric EL9 as a bridge or transition to electric aircraft.

“The military knows how to carry fuel. Battery-electric, though, is another story,” Rajaraman told me. “This hybrid-electric aircraft can enable use cases for Lockheed and our military customers, such as taking off from a runway in a combat zone that’s been damaged, where you have a very short distance that’s not damaged.”