U.S. electric aircraft makers hope eIPP program will help ‘demystify’ their tech

When Kristen Costello is at an event showing off one of BETA Technologies’ electric aircraft to the public, she’s used to people reacting with a lot of curiosity — and typically a little confusion.

Popular questions include what kind of vehicle it is and what it’s like to fly in. Over time, that’s led Costello to wonder whether BETA, the Vermont company where she’s head of government and regulatory affairs, and the broader electric air taxi industry might be overcomplicating how they describe their aircraft, many of which are classified as electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs).

“I mean, it’s just an airplane. And the cool thing about it is that it’s electric,” she told me in an interview, referring to the CX300, the  conventional takeoff and landing variant of BETA’s ALIA design.

She’s hoping a government program scheduled to begin next month will help simplify and familiarize the American public with eVTOLs, as well as the broader category known as advanced air mobility. The eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, or eIPP, is intended to safely integrate electric air taxis and drones into the national airspace system through public-private partnerships between state and local governments and private electric aircraft developers to test real-world use cases. Applications for the program, announced in September, were due in December, and the Transportation Department plans to announce awardees in March.

“I think this will be a way for people to demystify electric aviation, because anything that’s new and different is always met with a little bit of skepticism, right?” Costello said. “So I think that this will definitely help with that effort.”

The Transportation Department said in September it plans to select at least five projects. The awardees will be states, which are partnering with the aircraft developers. BETA is one of at least six companies that have announced their intent to participate. The others are Virginia-based Electra, and California-based Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, Pivotal and Boeing-owned Wisk.

• RELATED READING: New FAA pilot program aims to accelerate arrival of advanced air mobility
  
• RELATED READING: Will advanced air mobility really change the way we travel? 

In Costello’s view, a primary message the eIPP flights should convey is that electric aircraft can be operated more cheaply than today’s helicopters and airplanes, because of lower or no fuel costs and less complicated hardware, which also translates to reduced maintenance costs.

Thus far, many electric aircraft developers have emphasized the potential for their planned passenger service to help alleviate commuter congestion in urban areas. Costello said she’s hoping eIPP helps demonstrate other applications, such as lower-cost emergency transportation.

“I grew up in a rural area, and the first thing we would say if a helicopter had to take someone to a hospital is how expensive it would be,” she said. “So getting this into the hands of operators who now can make that economically viable and drive down those costs — that’s what I get really excited about.”

DOT has not yet provided details about what types of flights and use cases are planned, but observers note the largest states — California, Texas, New York and Florida — are expected to participate with multiple companies, along with other states that claim rich aviation histories, such as North Carolina and Ohio. So far, no public money has been allocated for the program, and none of the aircraft developers have received FAA type certification for their designs.

Andy Phillips, manager of airworthiness and regulatory affairs for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, told me he hopes these real-world flights will build confidence and safety data.

The Transportation Department plans for the program to span at least three years, starting with cargo flights and perhaps moving later to carrying passengers, but Phillips said it’s not known how or when that will unfold.

“It’s going to be really fundamental to make sure that people understand what these services are and how to use [them] and how it benefits them, whether that’s passenger operations or cargo or medical transportation,” Phillips said.