Beta's Alia performs 100-mile battery flight in Norway, signaling progress in electric aviation
Norway hosts cargo-focused tests as electric propulsion advances face battery-density challenges
A battery-powered flight by Beta Technologies' electric aircraft Alia completed a 100-mile (160 km) test flight in Norway this month, underscoring progress toward low-emission cargo operations. The flight, conducted in Bergen, lasted about 55 minutes on battery power alone, according to Beta.
The test portion simulated a cargo route between Stavanger and Bergen; over the coming months, test flights will continue as Norway pushes to establish low-emission aviation. At the controls was pilot Jeremy Degagne, who said, "If you do the drive, it's four and a half hours. And we did the flight in 52 minutes." Karianne Helland Strand, a director at Avinor, called it an important milestone for Norway as an international test arena. The trial comes after what Beta described as a whirlwind European tour that included Ireland, Farnborough, Paris Air Show, Germany, and Denmark.
Alia can fly up to 400 km on a single charge and can refuel in less than 40 minutes by plugging in. The fixed-wing design can be configured for cargo, medical transport, or up to five passengers. In June, it undertook the first electric demonstration flight carrying passengers into New York's JFK airport. Beta says Amazon is an investor and UPS is a customer, with plans to seek U.S. certification for Alia this year.
Range remains the major limitation for electric flight. Even the best lithium-ion batteries are bulky and heavy, with energy density not improving significantly over the past two decades, according to Guy Gratton, an aviation expert and professor at Cranfield University.
Given the limits, some firms are pursuing hybrid technologies. Among the aviation start-ups trying to get electric passenger planes off the ground is Heart Aerospace. It recently shifted its entire operations from Sweden to the US, which its management said would help it focus "resources" and be closer to clients, including the airlines Mesa and United. The firm has developed a 30-seater prototype, the X1, which the BBC saw before it was shipped to the United States. If all goes to plan during upcoming test-flights, it will become the largest battery-powered plane to fly. "It has about two tons of batteries in it," explained chief technology officer Benjamin Stabler. Heart plans a hybrid plane that can switch between batteries and jet fuel. "For a normal route, it would fly all-electric from takeoff to landing," he explained. "If you want to go a longer distance, or if there's a diversion, you can switch over to the turbines." The aircraft could travel 200 km in electric-only flight. With the hybrid technology, which is scheduled for test-flights in 2026, it could fly 400 km with 30 passengers, or up to 800 km with 25, the firm claims.
"Public transport flying, quite rightly, requires a significant amount of energy reserve," says Prof Grattan. "So hybridisation and the use of conventional fuels to carry safety reserves makes good sense," adds the professor, who has previously advocated this approach. Heart isn't alone; US-based Electra expects its nine-seater hybrid plane to take flight by 2029, running on a combination of jet fuel and electric power.
Beta Technologies is also pursuing hybrid aircraft for defence and civilian purposes. Its first model was built in 2023, and later this year it plans to produce a plane that is not only hybrid but autonomous. "Are we excited about hybrid? 100%," says Hall. "It's a way to get longer ranges, today, and you still get a lot of the environmental benefit." A fully electric foundation is necessary first, Hall argues, "you then layer on hybrid technology".
Hybrid systems have lower emissions than conventional aircraft, and the electric motors would enable quieter takeoff and landing in urban areas. It's still not clear what the future of aviation will look like. Greener fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) have attracted investment, along with hydrogen-based systems. All will have to prove their commercial viability and safety, and much work needs to be done. "This is a really challenging thing to do, electrifying aviation and removing the carbon," said Stabler.
More context: The industry continues to pursue SAF and hydrogen as options; battery breakthroughs remain the key to mass adoption, alongside safety and regulatory progress.