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This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.
Also, NASA has developed a semi-electric aircraft using fuel cells to generate electric power,
and it could be introduced into service by 2035 (Howell Hanano n.d.). In addition to the semi-
electric effort, NASA is currently developing the X-57 Maxwell, the agency’s first all-electric
experimental aircraft and its first crewed X-plane in two decades.
Mid-Term Use Cases
Projected mid-term applications include regional commuter/air taxis, light cargo, and regional
scheduled air service. Regional commuter/air taxis, which include electric vertical take-off and
landing (eVTOL) aircraft, range from under 20 miles up to 50 miles and can carry up to four
passengers. Table 1 shows companies working in this area, including Bell, Hyundai, Archer, and
Beta Technologies. In February 2021, United announced a partnership with Archer to (1)
investigate short-haul electric aircraft opportunities for flights serving customers traveling from
regional airports to United’s hub locations and (2) support mobility needs in dense urban
environments. Archer is expected to begin producing their four-passenger eVTOL in 2023 and to
supply United with up to 200 aircraft that could begin service as early as 2024 (United 2021).
Light air cargo use cases will likely focus on custom cargo deliveries and military applications.
Ampaire, Beta Technologies, and magniX, the main companies focused on this application, are
also working on eVTOL and conventional aircraft and power plants for the regional market. In
April 2021, United Parcel Service announced a partnership with Beta Technologies with plans to
electrify some of their cargo routes. United Parcel Service also plans to purchase 10 of the Alia-
250 aircraft, which can carry 1,400 pounds at speeds up to 170 miles per hour for 250 miles.
Beta Technologies is scheduled to deliver these vehicles in 2024 for aircraft that currently carry
loads of 500–3,000 pounds (Holland 2021).
Regional commuter service uses include carrying up to 15 passengers for scheduled (FAA Part
121) and/or unscheduled operation, and commuter air service. Companies focused on this
segment include Ampaire, Eviation (Siemens/magniX), and magniX. As an example, Eviation’s
Alice, a nine-passenger aircraft, is designed to fly up to 440 nautical miles (with an additional
45-minute reserve) at around 220 knots and is expected to make its first flight in 2021 with
deliveries likely to occur in 2023 (Singh 2021). This aircraft is projected to be charged by
500-kW chargers on mobile bowser trucks, and it is intended to mitigate initial infrastructure
investments for the early adopters and support a full recharge in a little over 1 hour (Thurber
2019). In May 2020, a modified Cessna Caravan 208B, which can carry a maximum of nine
passengers, completed a test flight powered by a magniX engine and thus became the biggest
commercial plane ever to take off and fly by electricity alone (Baraniuk 2020).
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Charging mid-term use aircraft will require supply equipment with a charge rate of greater than
2C, and, for the 820-kWh (kilowatt-hour) Alice battery, a peak demand that could potentially
exceed 2 megawatts (MW). These requirements exceed current light-duty ground vehicle battery
and charging technologies, such as the Tesla Supercharger, which operates at charge rate of
approximately 1C with a peak demand of approximately 250 kW (Hinman 2019).
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Zunum, a Boeing-backed firm that had targeted delivery of a hybrid aircraft for early 2020 (Intelligent Aerospace
2020) ran into financial issues in 2019 (Bogaisky 2019).