The world seems all set to transcend into the future of all-electric vehicles (EVs), and it would only seem plausible that EVs would be featured in aeroplanes. In this context, startup Electro.

Aero and Slovenian light aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel has recently started a battery-powered electric plane test flight in Perth, Australia. The test flight recently marked the first electric light-sport aircraft and was also certified in the country.

Electro. Aero is reportedly working on building an electric plane that could fly short distances and act as air taxis. The aircraft is featured with supercharging technology, which allows fast charging and is also super-quiet, attributed to the absence of an internal combustion engine.

The company is a pioneer in electric aviation technology and has also obtained certification for the Alpha Electro by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority in 2017. And, Pipistrel is popular for crafting innovative planes, including some powered by hydrogen fuel.

The two companies comprehend the advantages of electric planes over their conventional counterparts, according to the founder Electro. Aero, Joshua Portlock. He adds that electric propulsion is more straightforward than a petrol engine.

The test flight, which included a two-seater, single-propeller light aircraft, was powered by two lithium-ion batteries. A single charge is said to keep the plane flying for around an hour like those in Tesla’s EVs and a 30-minute of extra power in reserve. The batteries could give around 1,000 flying hours to the plane over their lifetimes.

The electric plane is also cheaper to fly in comparison to the aircraft using jet fuel. The engine of EV costs around AUD 3 an hour, which is one-tenth, the fuel engine’s price. Apart from this, flying electric is also cleaner than using fossil fuels, which would make a significant consideration of climate change. Meanwhile, the registered pilots would fulfil the familiarisation flight before independently flying the plane, whereas the local pilots would have to train towards flying the electric plane.