The use of no-emissions aircrafts can lower the cost for customers, while also putting the company on the path towards a zero carbon footprint in 2050.
United Airlines confirmed on Thursday that it’s moving forward on plans to operate 100 electric planes to fly short, regional travel until 2030. The first group of planes could depart from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Denver International Airport, CNBC reports(Opens in the brand new tab).
United purchased propeller aircrafts from the year 2021 by Heart Aerospace(Opens in new window) which is a Swedish company founded in the year 2018 with the intention of “electrifying regional travel.” United also made an investment in Heart and Air Canada, which purchased 30 planes(Opens in the new window) that will go into service in 2028.
The aircraft is able to travel up to 124 miles with full power using a lithium-ion battery. Then, they shift into a hybrid mode to take a maximum of 250 miles according to CNBC. When the aircraft is in hybrid mode, it produces 50percent less carbon dioxide according to Anders Forslund, founder and chief executive officer of Heart Aerospace.
The planes could be recharged within 30 minutes According to Forslund. With the short distances, and the speedy process for “refuel,” the planes could open up travel on new routes that are not accessible to traditional airlines for less.
United originally had plans to have the aircraft in operation as early as 2026(Opens in the brand new tab). This timeline has been delayed to 2030. Another thing to note: the planes were originally designed to accommodate 19 passengers on”the “ES-19” model, but now they’ll be able to seat 30(Opens in the new window) on a brand new model, dubbed”ES-30. “ES-30.”
At CNBC’s ESG Impact virtual conference(Opens in a new window) on Thursday, Mike Leskinen, United Airlines Ventures president, spoke about the urgency to reduce carbon emissions from air travel, which account for 10%(Opens in a new window) of transportation-related emissions in the US and 4% of total emissions.
In the year 2019, United released 34,263,909 tonnes of greenhouse gases via jet fuel, as per the latest emissions data(Opens in brand new tab).
“We cannot continue doing and operating our business the way we do; it is imperative that we change it, and the way we’re going to change it is through investing in technology,” said Leskinen.
In the year 2018 United has pledged 100percent carbon neutrality in 2050. The airline claims as the very first company to make this commitment. “To meet this goal, we’ll continue to invest in fuel efficiency improvements across our fleet and our entire business,” United says(Opens in an entirely New window). “But because fuel efficiency alone won’t be enough to reach this ambitious target, we also intend to invest in new technology, like sustainable aviation fuel that emits far less CO2 than conventional fuel on a lifecycle basis.”
In August, Chicago-based airlines made an investment of (Opens in the New window)$10 million in the California-based Archer Aviation, a company producing tiny helicopters that transport passengers to airports, and to reduce the amount of traffic.
