Dutch start-up Elysian breaks cover and pushes potential of all-electric 90-seater

Dutch start-up Elysian Aircraft claims newly published research supports its ambitious plan to develop an all-electric 90-seater for service entry in 2033, arguing that the potential for battery-powered aircraft has previously been significantly underestimated. Established last year, Elysian says the work carried out by its team – co-chief executive and chief technology officer Rob Wolleswinkel and director of design and engineering Reynard de Vries – alongside staff from the Delft University of Technology, signals a “paradigm shift in the potential for electric flight”. Contained in two research papers – A new perspective on battery-electric aviation, part I and II – the findings show that “large battery-electric aircraft can carry much more energy and are aerodynamically more efficient than originally assumed,” says Wolleswinkel. Previous analysis has been based on “several misconceptions”, it argues, leading to the conclusion that battery-powered aircraft would only be suitable for short-range aircraft in the sub-19-seat commuter class. But Elysian’s reappraisal of the data suggests a full-electric aircraft can deliver meaningful performance levels, carrying 90 passengers on routes of up to 430nm (800km), based on cells with energy density of 360Wh/kg at pack level. “These results indicate that, to successfully reduce the climate impact of the aviation sector, battery-electric aircraft should not be designed as a niche product operating from small airfields but as commercial transport aircraft competing with fuel-based regional and narrowbody aircraft,” the second paper asserts.<br/>