United Airlines announces purchase of 100 electric planes
US-based United Airlines has announced plans to purchase 100 electric planes from Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace that are expected to take to the skies as early as 2026.
United Airlines Ventures (UAV) says it has invested in Heart Aerospace, along with Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and said it has conditionally agreed to purchase 100 of the company’s ES-19 electric aircraft.
Mesa Airlines, an American regional airline and United’s key strategic partner in bringing electric aircraft into commercial service, has also agreed to add 100 ES-19 aircraft to its own fleet.
Heart Aerospace’s ES-19 is a 19-seat electric aircraft that will be able to fly up to 400-kilometres – and then further as battery energy densities improve. It is expected to be certified for commercial flight by 2026.
“We expect the short-haul regional air travel market to play a key role in the evolution of the electric aircraft,” said Michael Leskinen, United’s Vice President Corp Development & Investor Relations, as well as UAV’s President.
“As battery technology improves, larger-gauge aircraft should become viable but we’re not going to wait to begin the journey. That’s why we’re looking forward to beginning our work with Heart, so that, together, we can scale the availability of electric airliners and use them for passenger flights within the next five years.”
United Airlines’ investment in Heart Aerospace is part of the company’s focus on building a portfolio of companies that will be necessary to building a carbon-neutral airline, supporting United’s goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2050 without relying on traditional carbon offsets.
“Aviation is such a critical piece of our global economy,” said Carmichael Roberts, from Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
“At the same time, it’s a major source of carbon emissions and one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize.
“We believe electric aircraft can be transformational in reducing the emissions of the industry, and enable low cost, quiet and clean regional travel on a broad scale.
“We believe electric aircraft can be transformational in reducing the emissions of the industry, and enable low cost, quiet and clean regional travel on a broad scale.
“Heart’s visionary team is developing an aircraft around its proprietary electric motor technology that will allow airlines to operate at a fraction of the cost of today and has the potential to change the way we fly.”
BYD electric van due in Australia soon, with people mover, SUV and hatch to follow
An all-electric BYD e6 people-mover priced close to $40,000 and a larger SUV based on the BYD Yuan Plus priced under $50,000 will be the first passenger EVs to arrive under a direct-to-consumer auto trader business from Nexport called EVDirect.
A $35,000 electric hatch known as the EA1 – now dubbed the Dolphin in more recent auto reports – is also coming to Australia, along with a next generation Han, an electric sedan. But the first BYD electric vehicle due to be brought to Australia by Nexport will actually be an electric van.
Nexport’s plan to introduce BYD electric vehicles to the Australian market has been much anticipated. Whispers of the EA1 electric hatch priced around $35,000 generated a great deal of excitement, but further details at the time seemed thin on the ground.
Speaking with The Driven, Nexport CEO Luke Todd says the introduction of the BYD vehicles has been dependent on Chinese launch dates, with Covid19 also causing delays. Nexport has also been working with BYD to adapt its electric vehicles to the Australian market to ensure acceptance by local drivers, he says.
Hyundai reportedly investing in US battery start-up
Hyundai Motor Company will reportedly invest approximately $US100 million in US battery start-up SolidEnergy Systems in an effort to accelerate its own electromobility plans.
According to “industry sources” who spoke to South Korean outlet Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, Hyundai will invest 114 billion won, which converts to around $A133 million, in acquiring a stake in SolidEnergy Systems (SES).
“As we have been investing in various companies related to electrification, our investment in SolidEnergy is part of that,” an official at Hyundai Motor told Yonhap.
The Singapore-based SolidEnergy Systems, which manufactures lithium metal battery materials, cells, and modules, already boasts big-name shareholders including General Motors, Applied Materials, and Shanghai Auto.
Founded in 2012 as a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, SES was named in March as a new development partner with General Motors as the latter seeks to develop the next generation of its Ultium battery chemistry.
Hyundai, on the other hand, has been making its own moves to establish long-term supply of electric vehicle batteries – a growing trend amongst automotive companies as the move towards electromobility threatens already strained battery supply chains.
Currently, Hyundai sources EV batteries from SK Innovation, CATL, and LG Chem, but is also developing its own solid-state battery technology in-house.
BHP coal mine installs Tritium charger for electric vehicles going underground
“We’re thrilled to have found the perfect solution in these Battery Electric Vehicles, which will be used by our Maintenance personnel to travel in Negligible-Explosion Risk Zones (NERZ’s) throughout the underground mine,” Wood said.
Unlike Toyota Landcruisers being converted for the mining industry in a deal with Vivopower, “the ground-up design of the Relay BEV has meant “everything that is mining” has been incorporated into every aspect of the design and production,” according to the company.
With a dual cab configuration, the BEV Relays comfortably carry up to four adults at a time as well as a maximum 2-tonne payload.
The mid-mounted motor send peak 150kW power to the front and rear differentials, delivering a hefty maximum 1,550Nm torque.
Rollover protection and telemetry diagnostics that can be transmitted back to a control room help to ensure safety.
Miller Technology says the BEV Relays can be charged within 20 minutes to supply enough range to complete a typical 10-hour mining shift.
“This is made possible by the advanced Battery Management System (BMS), which monitors battery temperature and its enclosed refrigeration temperature monitoring system keeps the temperature within the optimal narrow temperature range.
The BMS responds instantly to varied demands while charging and in use helping the Relay to provide 10 years of battery life,” said the company in a statement.
According to Hewitt who posted images of the chargers on LinkedIn, “Tritium’s world-class RT175kW, IP65, liquid-cooled charger now has a mining spec variant and is being used in one of the worlds harshest environments, a coal mine, in Moranbah Queensland!”
The chargers are compliant with wiring and electrical standards AS3000 and AS3007 in line with the requirements on mining operations.
“Expect to see many more of these at mines as they’re easily the most fit for purpose charger on the market,” said Hewitt.
“It was a great team effort at Miller Technology to produce the Relay, the best light-duty BEV for the hard rock sector, and a further fine team effort in collaborating with BHP to develop the Relay into a stunning machine for coal applications,” said Miller technology president Dean Robinson in a response about the charger in Linked In.
“All this was only possible due to Tritium’s team developing the 175 kW fast charger into a mine ready, liquid-cooled, completely sealed unit to meet all mining regulations.”
“Hopefully, within the next two years, we will have electric vehicle options available that can enter all areas of our underground coal mines. We couldn’t be more excited to be at the forefront of these new global initiatives,” said Wood.
