Farnborough. 21 July 2020. Electric Aviation Group (EAG) has unveiled a pioneering design for a hybrid electric regional aircraft which will deliver a technical and commercial entry point for sustainable mass air transport.
The design has been developed by the Bristol-based engineering and development firm, which expects its first aircraft to be in service by 2028. EAG say the design will create UK jobs and a blueprint for sustainable mass air transportation
EAG has optimised the latest technology, economics and operational parameters to create the design for the Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft (HERA), to ensure it can solve the challenges of decarbonisation and mass transportation.
The design was unveiled to coincide with the opening day of FIA Connect. The design has received unequivocal support from EAG’s JetZero consortium, which includes some of the UK’s leading engineering and manufacturing organisations and senior academic advisors.
Kamran Iqbal, founder and CEO at EAG said: “Significant investments have been raised to develop sub-19 seat hybrid and all-electric aircraft which we believe is the wrong strategy. These small planes cannot meet the demands of mass air transportation or the requirements of decarbonisation. Our design is for an aircraft that will initially offer 800 nautical miles range at launch in 2028, and which will be able to carry over 70 people. We will be a first mover in what is a $4.4 trillion market.”
EAG will draw on the rich heritage and strong aviation industry in Bristol when it begins production of the new aircraft for which it has already developed and filed a total of 25 patents covering a wide range of technologies. The organisation expects to initially create more than 25,000 jobs and unlock $5 billion investments in the UK aerospace industry.
