9 hours ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
The Hybrid-Electric Plane Maker That Wants to Change the Way We Fly
Investors are betting billions on air travel's next big things, from all-electric air taxis to supersonic jetliners. The chief executive of aerospace startup Electra says he's looking to deliver a practical option: a hybrid-electric plane that can take off and land—quickly and quietly—on a surface no bigger than a soccer field.
'It's just an airplane,' says Marc Allen, who was a Boeing executive before becoming Electra's CEO last year. But he believes this hybrid, also known as an 'ultra short,' will answer travelers' desire to fly without traffic-clogged trips to the airport, long security lines or inconvenient connections. Helicopters are too loud and expensive, and small jets still must use traditional airports, while air taxis have limited range, he says. 'We're consolidating these existing technologies in a totally unique and novel way to finally deliver direct aviation, to make it real.'
