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Illustration of an ES-30 electric hybrid aircraft: Airborne for Air Canada from 2028
Photo: HANDOUT/AFP
The Canadian airline Air Canada wants to fly more environmentally friendly - and has now ordered 30 electric hybrid aircraft of the ES-30 type.
In addition, according to a statement, the airline secured a stake in the Swedish manufacturer Heart Aerospace for five million US dollars (about 4.99 million euros).
The planes, which can seat 30 passengers each, are scheduled to fly for Air Canada from 2028.
According to the airline, the planes are powered by lithium-ion batteries.
In battery operation, the flights are emission-free.
When fully loaded, the aircraft would have a range of 200 kilometers with pure battery power.
With additional energy from the reserve hybrid generators, which are said to be operated with “sustainable” petrol, the range can be increased to 400 kilometers.
If you limit the number of passengers to 25, a range of up to 800 kilometers is also possible.
According to Air Canada, the batteries can be charged within 30 to 50 minutes.
The airline plans to use the ES-30 on regional and commuter routes.
In the medium to long term, the machines should also be able to connect smaller communities.
Zero emissions by 2050
"The addition of Heart Aerospace's ES-30 electric regional aircraft to our fleet is another step towards our goal of zero emissions by 2050," said Michael Rousseau, President of Air Canada.
In Germany, Deutsche Post announced in August 2021 that it had ordered twelve Alice electric freighters from the manufacturer Eviation.
Eviation expects to be able to deliver the planes in 2024, the Post said at the time.
The machine can be flown by a single pilot and can carry more than 1,200 kilograms of cargo.
The maximum range is 815 kilometers.
The e-plane is therefore suitable for shorter feeder routes.
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