Ecotricity boss flies high with new electric airline plans
Dale Vince, the founder of Stroud-based energy company Ecotricity, has unveiled plans for what he says will be "the UK's first electric airline".
But the first planes will run on kerosene-based fuel, according to a report in The Guardian.
Described as a "flag carrier for green Britain", the airline will launch next year, with a 19-seater plane flying between Southampton and Edinburgh.
While the airline will launch using kerosene, Dale Vince told the national newspaper that the planes will be retrofitted with engines that convert green hydrogen into electricity.
Dale told the Guardian: "“A lot of people seem to think that people who are eco-conscious want everyone to live a life of self-denial in a cave. Green living is not about giving things up – everything we like to have in this life can be done in a net zero life.”
As the owner of Forest Green Rovers football club where the staff wear sustainable clothing and the food concessions service vegan-only food, Dale will apply the same principals to his airline.
The second phase of his Ecojet business will see 70-seater planes introduced, which can be flown into Europe. Ecojet is currently applying for a licence from the Civil Aviation Authority, and booking slots at airports, according to the report.
Dale admitted that launching an electric airline that runs on kerosene wasn't ideal, but said that he wanted to keep up the momentum of the project.
He told the Guardian: "“It does feel like a contradiction but at the heart of this project is upcycling existing planes and retrofitting them. This is the pragmatic approach, which means we won’t lose time. We will build up the infrastructure, get the planes in the air and swap in the engines when they are available.”
Dale isn't the only person investing in electric flight.
Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace is also pioneering electric aviation, developing an Electronic Vertical Take off and Landing (eVTOL) plane. The company was founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, the entrepreneur best known as the founder of the OVO Group, Europe’s largest independent energy retailer. Vertical has focused on building the most experienced and senior team in the eVTOL industry, who have previously certified and supported more than 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems.
Vertical has a leading pre-order book for more than 1,400 aircraft from a global customer base. Customers include airlines, aircraft lessors, helicopter operators and tourism groups, including American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Avolon, Bristow, Marubeni, Iberojet and FLYINGGROUP, as well as Japan Airlines (JAL), Gol, Air Greenland, Gozen Holding and AirAsia, through Avolon’s VX4 placements.
Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL is projected to be capable of transporting a pilot and up to four passengers, traveling distances of up to 100 miles, and achieving a cruise speed of 150 miles per hour, while producing minimal noise and zero operating emissions.
Having been issued with its Permit to Fly from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority in September 2022, Vertical’s VX4 prototype has successfully undertaken piloted flight tests. Vertical is now in the next stages of the flight test programme, which is expected to reach higher altitudes and speeds, as well as demonstrating the transition from vertical to horizontal flight.
