First Electric Aircraft to Fly Using Solid-State Batteries
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
Helios Horizon just made history with the first piloted flight of an electric aircraft powered by solid-state batteries.
Founder and chief test pilot Miguel Iturmendi carried out a series of short test flights in Florida this week, taking to the skies in a modified Pipistrel Taurus motor glider that the team has named the Helios Horizon.
“For the first time, we have a battery technology that yields the range and charging times necessary to make commercial electric aviation viable, while providing the safety the flying public will demand,” says Iturmendi.
Flying using 'old tech' lithium-ion batteries always looked unlikely because they are so heavy, but Helios says that new batteries are both smaller and offer 60 to 80 percent greater energy density. Solid-state cells use solid electrolyte instead of liquid electrolyte found in a lithium-ion battery and offer superior safety, as they aren’t flammable. They also last much longer and charge faster.
Iturmendi's aircraft can also recharge in flight via built-in solar panels and by using the propeller as a wind turbine when it isn’t needed for thrust. “Regenerative flying, in which we glide and windmill the propeller during descents, can significantly increase the range of the airplane,” he says.
His next objective is to take it higher into the stratosphere, targeting over 40,000 feet - higher than most passenger airliners cruise. Iturmendi expects the aircraft to easily complete these stratospheric flights on a single charge thanks to the new solid-state batteries. The tests are planned for later in the year. The Helios Horizon is just a concept demonstrator at this stage, showing what is possible in terms of range and endurance.