Story ID: 564
How Electric Aircraft Will Complement Bizav
By: Hanneke Weitering
Caption: AAM vehicles can both replace and complement private aviation
Word Count: 342
The electric aviation revolution is upon us, and it could have a significant impact on the business aviation industry. During an NBAA-BACE Newsmakers luncheon on Tuesday, a group of panelists from companies developing various types of electric aircraft discussed how they see the new technology fitting into today’s business aviation ecosystem.
While new electric aircraft have the potential to replace some existing airplanes, they also open up new possibilities that will complement the current market, the panelists agreed.  
For people unfamiliar with advanced air mobility, the terms “electric air taxi” or “eVTOL” may evoke the image of George Jetson whizzing around Orbit City in a UFO-like airframe. While urban air mobility is certainly one application for electric aircraft—particularly battery-powered ones—there’s a much bigger market in regional air mobility or longer-range flights of up to a few hundred miles, said Marc Ausman, chief product officer at Electra, a company developing a hybrid-electric, short-takeoff-and-landing (HeSTOL) aircraft. 
Ausman said he believes hybrid-electric aircraft such as Electra’s could replace some products in the business aviation industry, such as small light jets. At the same time, electric aircraft—whether they run entirely on batteries or have hybrid powertrains—will also open up new markets for aviation.
Due to the lower operating costs associated with electric flight, “when you’re looking at starting new business opportunities, the economics pencil out a lot quicker, and so you can take that risk now,” he said. “There’s a huge growth opportunity here. We can open up entire segments and expose people to aviation in a way that just wasn’t possible before.”
Kriya Shortt, president and CEO of Textron’s eAviation division, said battery-electric powertrains are also ideal for pilot training. According to Shortt, the battery-powered Velis Electro electric trainer airplane can reduce operating costs by about 75 percent. This reduces the cost barrier that many aspiring pilots face when entering the profession, which could in turn alleviate the workforce shortage.