All-electric aircraft developer BETA Technologies officially opened the doors at its new facility located at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in Vermont, with its production line already underway.

The facility integrates production lines for battery packs, electric motors, and inverters used for propulsion for Beta’s Alia aircraft. Beta has two electric aircraft concepts running in parallel since its inception in 2017: the runway-designed conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) and the vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL). The facility should eventually be able to produce up to 300 aircraft per year, with the site offering the opportunity for a phase-II expansion to double capacity.

Land-based electric vehicles (EVs) are already changing the shape of the automotive industry and supply chains are rushing to adjust accelerating demand in new energy technologies. Lightweighting in EVs is crucial to reduce the cost of the battery (the highest cost component of an EV) while OEMs simulotaneously look for the consumer inflection point on “range anxiety”. Lightweighting becomes even more critical in an electric aircraft and will drive up demand for aerospace-grade materials, often reserved for use in luxury performance EVs. Beta’s eVTOL has five electric motors and these will likely make use of rare earth permanent magnet motors to offer the best torque.

Not only will electric aerospace applications demand only the finest materials, but the safety standards, product specifications, and supply chain transparency will also be put to the test. BETA partnered with the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) and the FAA to conduct a 50ft drop test on a full-scale battery system designed for an electric aircraft – a safety feature necessary for sometimes chemically unstable lithium-ion batteries.

Project Blue’s aerospace forecast is tracking a rapid recovery in orders and deliveries of commercial aircraft. Airbus and Boeing both forecast the majority of fleet growth to come from single-isle bodies, however, there are several scenarios that could limit long-term growth. Carbon taxes and electrification of large commercial planes could cost out a significant portion of recreational travellers, while legislation could see some short-haul routes suspended in favour of less carbon-intensive modes of transport. High-speed train networks are already expanding rapidly in China and the smaller electric aircraft, such as Beta’s Alia VTOL, could be an important piece of the pie to decarbonise global transportation.