# Electric aircraft -- current range? and what is this aircraft? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726 "2025-10-06T20:20:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2025, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/1 "2025-10-06T20:20:26Z")
I got to wondering about the current state of Electric Aviation and what is the best range on a single charge. I couldn’t find much bacause most of the google hits were for EVTOL aircraft. Those might get 100 miles, although I have doubts about that figure. However, there was a hit for the FB post below which claims an electric aircraft (image in the second post) flew 500 miles. But I couldn’t find out the name of the aircraft or company. The FB post does not give either of those pieces of data. > **[Physics | Rewriting the Rules of Flight: This Battery-Powered Aircraft Just...](https://www.facebook.com/groups/38680135622/posts/10171920123925623/)** > > Rewriting the Rules of Flight: This Battery-Powered Aircraft Just Flew 500 Miles Without a Drop of Fuel > > In a historic leap for clean aviation, a fully electric aircraft has completed a... > **[Restoration - Rewriting the Rules of Flight: This Battery-Powered Aircraft...](https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=669909706134006&set=a.451450524646593)** > > Rewriting the Rules of Flight: This Battery-Powered Aircraft Just Flew 500 Miles Without a Drop of Fuel > > In a historic leap for clean aviation, a fully electric aircraft has completed a... ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/2 "2025-10-06T20:29:12Z")
Is that even a real picture? Does that plane actually exist? If it was real, I’d expect it to show up somewhere else besides a single facebook page with 22k followers filled with AI pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/3 "2025-10-06T20:46:05Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > However, there was a hit for the FB post below which claims an electric aircraft (image in the second post) flew 500 miles. But I couldn’t find out the name of the aircraft or company. The FB post does not give either of those pieces of data. Because it doesn’t exist; the image and (likely) the text are AI generated and there is no electric aircraft operating today with a rechargeable electric battery (using LiPo or LiFePO4 chemistry) that can get anywhere near a 500 nm range. This is the state-of-the-art for battery electric aircraft with an operating endurance of 50 minutes (20 in reserve) and an estimated maximum range of about 180 km: > **[Pipistrel Velis Electro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipistrel_Velis_Electro)** > > The Pipistrel Velis Electro is a Slovenian light aircraft, designed and produced by Pipistrel of Ajdovščina. The aircraft was EASA CS-LSA fully electric type certified in June 2020 and it is intended primarily for the training aircraft role, particularly multiple successive take-off and landings at the airfield. The design is the first type certified electric aircraft and is supplied complete and ready-to-fly. > The aircraft is based on the Pipistrel Virus airframe and features a cantilever hig... Stranger ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/4 "2025-10-07T00:06:32Z")
OK, thanks. I should have figured it was AI slop. It doesn’t have a propellor. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/5 "2025-10-07T04:44:59Z")
Is the Pipistrel Velis Electro the only electric plane that’s been certified? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/6 "2025-10-07T05:56:41Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I should have figured it was AI slop. It doesn’t have a propellor. It has what I can only assume are supposed to be some kind of turbine engine in each of the twin enpennages but no apparent control surfaces, room for landing gear, and (even assuming the fuselage serves as a lifting body) the wings don’t have enough surface for low speed gliding on approach so landing it would be an exercise in anticipating both wobble and stall. Also, the way the cockpit appears you either have to disassemble the entire top of the canopy to get in or else magically phase through the glass. > [@dtilque](#): > > Is the Pipistrel Velis Electro the only electric plane that’s been certified It isn’t the only one but it has the longest range of any operating electric plane that I can find. Most electric planes are actually “motor gliders” which require a taxi for takeoff and for which the motor just provides supplementary forward thrust for lift in areas with no updrafts. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/7 "2025-10-07T06:08:55Z")
The rules for aviation generally say that an aircraft must have 45 minutes fuel reserve in addition to its flight plan. (or is it for commercial craft, ability to reach alternate destination?) I don’t think there are many electrical aircraft that can come close to that, presumably there are exceptions for test units. Best I’ve seen is articles suggesting half an hour to 45 minutes flight. > **[Jetson ONE | Jetson - Personal Electric Aerial Vehicle](https://jetson.com/jetson-one)** That’s a personal aircraft looks like a 4-prop drone and it mentioned 20 minute flight time. est suggested applications for e-copters would be shuttles like between NYC airports. The weight to charge ratio isn’t there yet. Some company was testing an aircraft for shuttling from offshore islands to the mainland in Sweden IIRC, and another was testing flights from Vancouver Island to the city. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/8 "2025-10-07T13:15:43Z")
> **[Largest ever fully electric concept plane could take to the skies by 2033](https://www.livescience.com/technology/electric-vehicles/elysian-largest-fully-electric-concept-plane-e9x-take-off-in-2033)** > > The Elysian E9X is a 90-seater plane that can one day travel up to 620 miles — and it's based on research that claims our previous assumptions on battery-electric aircraft were wrong. But again this is a plane they are working on, not one which currently flies. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/9 "2025-10-07T13:26:04Z")
Fun fact: “Pipistrel” means bat, from the Latin “Pipistrellus”, in Italian is “Pipistrello” and Batman, in an excess of literal translation was called… [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSoQGaFrNo9e_jPnaj2Fhj7ku_2arud1KnWw&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSoQGaFrNo9e_jPnaj2Fhj7ku_2arud1KnWw&s) ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/10 "2025-10-07T19:38:42Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > But again this is a plane they are working on, not one which currently flies And the article mentions the need for significant improvement in battery technology. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/11 "2025-10-09T14:50:55Z")
BETA Technologies in Burlington, VT is making electric planes. Here are their stats. Their model called the Alia has a range of 336 nautical miles. > **[Aircraft](https://beta.team/aircraft)** > > BETA's all-electric ALIA VTOL and CTOL: The low-cost, high-performance solution for economically and environmentally sustainable operations. Designed by pilots for pilots. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/12 "2025-10-09T17:28:38Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > BETA Technologies in Burlington, VT is making electric planes. Here are their stats. Their model called the Alia has a range of 336 nautical miles. Although the ALIA CX300 does advertise a “MAX DEMONSTRATED RANGE” of 336 nm, I can only find information that it did [a short test flight up to 7k ft on November 2024](https://evmagz.com/beta-technologies-completes-first-production-test-flight-of-alia-ctol-electric-aircraft/), a [22 day “coast to coast flight” in March 2025](https://smdp.com/business/all-electric-aircraft-completes-coast-to-coast-flight-landing-at-santa-monica-airport/), and [a ~45 minute flight with passengers into JFK Airport on June 2025](https://aiaa.org/2025/06/04/betas-alia-cx300-makes-first-electric-flight-into-new-york-city-airport/), but can’t find any press release or other information that it has actually demonstrated 300+ nautical miles of flight. It is currently not certified for commercial use by the FAA and although I see that the CEO expects certification in 2025 or 2026 the clock seems to be running out on those predictions. In general, getting battery electric aircraft to the kind of range and power comparable to avgas and gasoline powered aircraft is going to require something close to an order of magnitude improvement in mass energy density. Electric aircraft are certainly competitive (and in many ways superior) for short range VTOL air taxi and ambulance roles that are currently performed by helicopters but getting something comparable to performance and range of even turboprop regional airliners is going to require some pretty large jumps in energy storage density. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2025, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/13 "2025-10-09T17:47:06Z")
After a bit more research, I find that a couple years ago CATL claimed to have made a “condensed battery” that has roughly twice the energy density of typical li-ion batteries. Unfortunately, they’re keeping most of the technical details secret: > **[CATL condensed matter battery is a semi-solid gel electrolyte lithium-ion...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brendanjephcott_catl-condensed-matter-battery-is-a-semi-solid-activity-7056134803821121536-Te3w)** > > CATL condensed matter battery is a semi-solid gel electrolyte lithium-ion battery with the characteristics of high specific energy, high conductivity, high safety, and its strong performance with an energy density reaching as high as 500Wh/kg is... At any rate, last year they said they’ve incorporated one of these into a 4-ton aircraft and are working on putting one into a larger plane: > **[Surprise test flight heralds ultra-long-range electric aircraft by 2028](https://newatlas.com/aircraft/catl-worlds-largest-ev-battery-manufacturer-aircraft/)** > > Chinese battery giant CATL says it's successfully flown a four-ton plane using its ultra-high density "condensed batteries." It now expects to have an 8-ton electric aircraft with a range of 2,000 to 3,000 km (1,240-1,865 miles) operating in 3-4... ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/14 "2025-10-10T00:27:07Z")
Fantastic new battery tech is always just around the corner. Seriously, the technical issues seem to be about ensuring service life. They can make energy-dense batteries with assorted tchemistry, but they often tend not to survive enough charge cycles to be practical. So then the research works on imprving that… ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2025, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/15 "2025-10-14T04:59:33Z")
Here’s an interesting article about battery tech, more about cars. Higher capscity lighter batteries are coming eventually. > **[How close are we to solid state batteries for electric vehicles?](https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/10/how-close-are-we-to-solid-state-batteries-for-electric-vehicles/)** > > Superionic materials promise greater range, faster charges and more safety. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/16 "2026-07-26T21:08:58Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > BETA Technologies in Burlington, VT is making electric planes. Here are their stats. Their model called the Alia has a range of 336 nautical miles. Some update on this manufacturer: > **[Loganair Agrees To Buy Five BETA Technologies Short Range Electric Aircraft -...](https://cleantechnica.com/2026/07/25/loganair-agrees-to-buy-five-beta-technologies-short-range-electric-aircraft/)** > > Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription, on Patreon, or on Stripe. Help us produce all of the high-quality, original content we publish week after week despite the challenges of content-scraping AI, antisocial media, inflation,... Loganair is a Scottish carrier that does lots of very short hauls, sometimes to places that are difficult or impossible to get to by road. The primary reason for them to switch to electric aircraft is the much lower (by about 80%) operating costs. They are planning on buying 5 ALIA CX300s initially. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/17 "2026-07-27T00:55:01Z")
Thanks for the great news! ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-aircraft-current-range-and-what-is-this-aircraft/1023726/18 "2026-07-27T01:30:42Z")
Solar Impulse was an electric aircraft that travelled around the world in 2015-2016 including a 7200km (4500mi) leg across the pacific. During the day it was powered directly from the sun, while its batteries were also charged for continuing to fly overnight. > **[Solar Impulse completes first round-the-world flight powered by the sun](https://reneweconomy.com.au/solar-impulse-completes-first-round-the-world-flight-powered-by-the-sun-50651/)** > > Solar and battery powered airplane has successfully circumnavigated the globe, flying more than 42,000km in 17 legs using only the power of the sun.