Company:Heart Aerospace

From HandWiki
Heart Aerospace AB
TypePrivate
IndustryAerospace manufacturing
Founded2018; 8 years ago (2018) in Gothenburg, Sweden
Founder
  • Anders Forslund
  • Klara Forslund
HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
Key people
Number of employees
126[2] (2023)
Websiteheartaerospace.com

Heart Aerospace AB is an aerospace manufacturer developing hybrid-electric regional aircraft. The company was founded in 2018 by Anders and Klara Forslund in Gothenburg, Sweden, and initially developed the 19-seat ES-19 all-electric aircraft concept before replacing it in 2022 with the 30-seat ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner. In 2024, Heart Aerospace unveiled the Heart X1 full-scale demonstrator for the ES-30 program. The company moved its headquarters and operations to Los Angeles, California, in 2025.

History

Heart Aerospace was established in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2018 by Anders and Klara Forslund, originally as a government-sponsored project.[3][2][4] They first set up operations at Säve Airport near Gothenburg.[5]

The company participated in the 2019 Y Combinator's Winter Batch and subsequently unveiled its design for the ES-19 all‑electric regional aircraft.[6] In January 2022, Heart Aerospace conducted a successful test flight with a one-fifth-scale model of its ES-19 airplane.[7] In September 2022, the company changed direction and unveiled the ES-30, which was a slightly larger hybrid-electric regional airliner.[8][9] The company also announced an industry advisory board with members representing airlines, leasing companies, and airports.[5] In 2024, Heart Aerospace unveiled the Heart X1, its first full-scale demonstrator aircraft, as a development tool for the ES-30.[10] The company also announced plans for its first test flight at Plattsburgh International Airport followed by the X2 prototype.[11] In September 2024, Heart Aerospace filed two EU design applications and one patent application for its integrated nacelle design.[12][13]

In May 2024, Heart Aerospace announced the establishment of a new research and development hub in Los Angeles focusing on its hybrid-electric propulsion system,[14][13] and the Forslunds moved there to oversee operations.[15] The company subsequently closed its Swedish operations in 2025 and moved its headquarters to Los Angeles.[16][17]

Order summary

Date Customer Orders Options Notes
13 July 2021 United Airlines 100 50 Originally ordered ES-19, later reconfirmed for ES-30[18][19]
13 July 2021 Mesa Airlines 100 50 Originally ordered ES-19, later reconfirmed for ES-30[18][19]
15 September 2022 Air Canada 30 – [19]
10 May 2023 Rockton 20 20 Aircraft leasing company[20]
Totals 250 120

The company also has letters of intent (non-firm orders) for a further 191 airplanes from Braathens Regional Airlines, Loganair, Icelandair, JSX, Scandinavian Airlines, Sounds Air, and Sevenair Air Services.[21]

Aircraft

ES-19

Heart Aerospace’s first design, the ES-19, was unveiled in 2020 following its participation in the 2019 Y Combinator's Winter Batch.[6] The ES‑19 was a 19‑seat, all‑electric regional aircraft concept designed for short-haul routes of approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi).[22] The company conducted a successful test flight with a one-fifth-scale model of the plane in January 2022 that lasted four and a half minutes with a maximum speed of 93 mph.[7] In June 2022, the company changed its application to a heavier weight category and EASA CS-25 certification which would not require an exemption from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency for being overweight.[23][24] This design was then superseded in September 2022 by the ES-30.[8][9]

ES-30

Heart Aerospace founder and CEO Anders Forslund showcases a cutaway rendering of the ES-30 hybrid-electric regional aircraft and its propulsion system in 2024.

The ES-30 is a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner, designed for short-haul routes.[25][26] It is projected to have an electric-only range of 200 kilometres (110 nautical miles) and a hybrid-electric range of 400 km (220 nmi), capable of zero carbon dioxide emissions on short routes. With a reduced passenger load of 25, a range of 800 km (430 nmi) may be achievable.[26][27]

The ES-30’s design includes batteries for shorter routes and two turboprop engines to extend flight range.[28] It also features Heart Aerospace’s design for an engine nacelle integrated into the wing which will allow the plane to fly at lower speeds and operate on shorter runways.[12] The company aims to achieve type certification for the ES-30 by the end of the 2020s.[10] The plane is projected to have a per-seat operating cost similar to a 50-person propeller plane.[25]

Experimental planes

Ground crew conducts a turnaround test of Heart Aerospace’s X1 prototype, loading baggage and preparing the aircraft for simulated flight in September 2024.

In 2024, Heart Aerospace unveiled its first full-scale demonstrator aircraft, the Heart X1 (Heart Experimental 1), to test systems and technologies for the ES-30.[12][29] It has a 105 ft wingspan.[29] Ground testing was performed in Gothenburg in 2024, with flight testing planned at Plattsburgh Airport in New York.[12][30] Development of the X1 was partially funded by grants from the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova.[29][13] The X1's maiden flight, powered solely by electricity, was anticipated in the second quarter of 2025.[10]

Following the X1 program, Heart Aerospace plans to construct a pre-production prototype, the Heart X2. The X2 will incorporate design refinements based on the X1's operational experience and will feature the company’s hybrid propulsion system, which is slated for a hybrid-electric flight demonstration in 2026.[26][10]

Financing

In the spring of 2019, after participating in Y Combinator, Heart Aerospace raised US$2.1 million in seed funding led by EQT Ventures, the Norrsken Foundation, and Chris Sacca’s Lowercarbon Capital.[2][5] By March 2021, the company documented interest in its concept airplane, the ES-19, from Finnair, the Nordic Network for Electric Aviation, and airlines in New Zealand, Canada, the US, and the UK.[31]

The company secured $35 million in Series A funding in July 2021, led by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, United Airlines Ventures, and Mesa Air Group, with participation from existing seed investors EQT Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital.[32] At that time, United Airlines Ventures and Mesa Air Group also announced an order of up to 200 ES-19 planes.[33]

In September 2022, Air Canada and Saab each invested $5 million in Heart Aerospace. Concurrently, Air Canada placed a purchase order for 30 ES-30 aircraft. Prior orders for the ES-19 from United and Mesa Air Group were converted to the ES-30.[34] The company also confirmed letters of intent and orders from Nordic operators like SAS AB, Braathens Regional Aviation, Icelandair, up to 40 planes for Rockton Sustainable Aviation, and an order from Sounds Air in New Zealand.[34][35] By the end of 2022, Heart Aerospace had secured 230 orders for the ES-30.[5][27]

In February 2024, Heart Aerospace raised a total of $107 million in Series B funding, increasing its total capital raised to $145 million.[16][36] Investors included the European Innovation Council Fund and Sagitta Ventures, a Danish early-stage investment firm, as well as some returning investors like Air Canada, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, EQT Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Norrsken VC, United Airlines, and Y Combinator.[36][37][38]

In 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration selected Heart Aerospace to receive a $4.1 million FAST grant to support the design of hybrid engine control systems.[39][40]

Heart Aerospace raised $40 million from an existing investor in the spring of 2025.[16][15] By the fall of 2025, the company had raised more than $185 million in venture funding.[1] It also had 250 orders for the ES-30, and options or purchase rights for an additional 120 planes.[5][37]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Meet Heart Aerospace". https://heartaerospace.com/about/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Billing, Mimi (13 February 2023). "Heart Aerospace hopes to build a plane even Greta Thunberg would fly on". Sifted. https://sifted.eu/articles/bill-gates-heart-electric-planes. 
  3. ↑ Ternby, Lovisa (27 April 2023). "Många tyckte att vi var helgalna". Dagens industri. https://www.di.se/hallbart-naringsliv/manga-tyckte-att-vi-var-helgalna/. 
  4. ↑ Constine, Josh (19 March 2019). "The top 10 startups from Y Combinator W19 Demo Day 1" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/19/best-of-y-combinator/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Christley, Emily (2025). "Performing legitimacy in electric aviation: The innovation journey of Heart Aerospace". Elsevier 127 (104261). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629625003421. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Constine, Josh; Clark, Kate; Matney, Lucas; Kumparak, Greg (March 18, 2019). "Here are the 85+ startups that launched at YC's W19 Demo Day 1". https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/18/here-are-the-85-startups-that-launched-today-at-y-combinators-w19-demo-day-1/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sampson, Ben (10 January 2022). "Heart runs successful first subscale test flight for electric aircraft". Aerospace Testing International. https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/electric-hybrid/heart-runs-successful-first-subscale-test-flight-for-electric-aircraft.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Harrington, Tony (September 22, 2022). "Heart Aerospace switches its 19-seat electric aircraft to a 30-seat version with reserve-hybrid power". Green Air News. https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=3435. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Klišauskaitė, Vytė (September 15, 2022). "Heart Aerospace reveals hybrid-electric aircraft design called ES-30". AeroTime. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/32170-heart-aerospace-reveals-new-electric-aircraft-design. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Heart Aerospace Plans To Use The X1 As An ES-30 Development Tool | Aviation Week Network". https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/aircraft-propulsion/heart-aerospace-plans-use-x1-es-30-development-tool. 
  11. ↑ Harrington, Tony (May 6, 2025). "Heart Aerospace in surprise HQ move from Sweden to Los Angeles, citing bigger US opportunities". Green Air News. https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=7240. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Sampson, Ben (12 September 2024). "Heart Aerospace reveals full-scale demonstrator aircraft HX1". Aerospace Testing International. https://www.aerospacetestinginternational.com/news/heart-aerospace-reveals-full-scale-demonstrator-aircraft-the-hx1.html. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Alcock, Charles (September 13, 2024). "Heart Rolls Out Technology Demonstrator for Hybrid-electric Airliner". Aviation International News. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2024-09-13/heart-rolls-out-technology-demonstrator-hybrid-electric. 
  14. ↑ "Heart Aerospace expands with new US R&D hub and CTO appointment" (in sv). 17 May 2024. https://www.techarenan.news/2024/05/17/heart-aerospace-expands-with-new-us-r-and-d-hub-and-cto-appointment/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Billing, Mimi (30 April 2025). "Heart Aerospace ditches Europe to focus on US operation". Sifted. https://sifted.eu/articles/heart-aerospace-ditches-europe-to-focus-on-us-operation. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Electric plane maker Heart Aerospace moves to US in blow to Sweden". Reuters. April 30, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/electric-plane-maker-heart-aerospace-moves-us-blow-sweden-2025-04-30/. 
  17. ↑ Hardy, Grace (April 30, 2025). "Heart Aerospace leaves Sweden for the States". Lara News. https://www.laranews.net/heart-aerospace-leaves-sweden-for-the-states/. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Heart Aerospace is one step closer to building an electric plane, closing $35M Series A round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, United Airlines and Mesa Air Group". Heart Aerospace (Press release). 13 July 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Heart Aerospace unveils new airplane design, confirms Air Canada and Saab as new shareholders". Heart Aerospace (Press release). 15 September 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  20. ↑ "Swedish leasing company Rockton to buy up to 40 ES-30 airplanes from Heart Aerospace". Heart Aerospace (Press release). 10 May 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  21. ↑ "AirAsia Joins Heart Aerospace's Industry Advisory Board to Shape the Future of Air Travel". Heart Aerospace (Press release). September 12, 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  22. ↑ Alcock, Charles (September 23, 2020). "Heart Aerospace Advances Plans For ES-19 Electric Regional Airliner". Aviation International News. https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2020-09-23/heart-aerospace-advances-plans-es-19-electric-regional-airliner. 
  23. ↑ Perry, Dominic (June 16, 2022). "Heart switches ES-19 certification to CS-25 category to meet US requirements". Flight Global. https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/heart-switches-es-19-certification-to-cs-25-category-to-meet-us-requirements/149018.article. 
  24. ↑ Alcock, Charles (June 21, 2022). "Heart Switches to CS-25 Certification Plan for ES-19 Electric Regional Airliner". Aviation International News. https://www.ainonline.com/news-article/2022-06-21/heart-switches-cs-25-certification-plan-es-19-electric-regional-airliner. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Verma, Pranshu (September 21, 2022). "These planes are battery operated. Will that fly?". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/21/electric-plane-heart-aerospace-es-30/. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Perry, Dominic (2024-05-15). "Heart reveals ES-30 redesign as it switches to off-the-shelf hybrid powertrain" (in en). https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/heart-reveals-es-30-redesign-as-it-switches-to-off-the-shelf-hybrid-powertrain/158291.article. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lindeberg, Rafaela; Nicola, Stefan (October 11, 2022). "A New Silicon Valley Emerges at the Arctic Circle". Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-11/sweden-becomes-electric-car-battery-and-green-tech-hub. 
  28. ↑ Perry, Dominic (September 13, 2024). "No let-up in sight as Heart attacks ES-30 development". Flight Global. https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/no-let-up-in-sight-as-heart-attacks-es-30-development/159959.article. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Surgenor, Christopher (September 17, 2024). "Heart Aerospace unveils full-scale 30-seat hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator". Green Air News. https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=6055. 
  30. ↑ "Heart Aerospace to test electric aircraft at Plattsburgh International Airport". Airport Technology. November 27, 2024. https://www.airport-technology.com/news/heart-aerospace-electric-aircraft-plattsburgh/. 
  31. ↑ Surgenor, Christopher (March 29, 2021). "Finnair commits to electric domestic flight with interest in Heart Aerospace’s 19-seat all-electric aircraft". Green Air News. https://www.greenairnews.com/?p=824. 
  32. ↑ Alamalhodaei, Aria (13 July 2021). "Heart Aerospace raises $35M Series A, lands order with United and Mesa Airlines for 200 aircraft" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/13/heart-aerospace-raises-35m-series-a-lands-order-with-united-and-mesa-airlines-for-200-aircraft/. 
  33. ↑ Lambert, Fred (July 14, 2021). "United Air invests in electric plane startup Heart Aerospace, agrees to buy up to 200 electric aircrafts [sic]". electrek. https://electrek.co/2021/07/14/united-air-invests-in-electric-plane-startup-heart-aerospace-buy-200-electric-aircraft/. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Lindeberg, Rafaela (September 15, 2022). "Electric Airliner a Step Closer as Heart Unveils 30-Seat Model". Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-15/electric-airliner-a-step-closer-as-heart-unveils-30-seat-model. 
  35. ↑ Lambert, Fred (September 16, 2022). "Heart Aerospace unveils new electric aircraft; Air Canada invests and orders 30 planes". electrek. https://electrek.co/2022/09/16/air-canada-invests-heart-aerospace-orders-updated-versions-electric-airplane/. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Billing, Mimi (February 1, 2024). "Bill Gates-backed electric plane startup Heart Aerospace flies high with $107m raise". Sifted. https://sifted.eu/articles/bill-gates-heart-aerospace-107m-news. 
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Lawrence, Cate (February 1, 2024). "Sweden's Heart Aerospace secures $107M Series B for ES-30 hybrid-electric plane". Tech.eu. https://tech.eu/2024/02/01/sweden-s-heart-aerospace-secures-107m-series-b-for-es-30-hybrid-electric-plane/. 
  38. ↑ Perry, Dominic (2022-09-15). "Sweden’s Heart Aerospace scales up to develop 30-seat hybrid-electric ES-30" (in en). https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/swedens-heart-aerospace-scales-up-to-develop-30-seat-hybrid-electric-es-30/150213.article. 
  39. ↑ "$4.1 million FAA grant for Heart Aerospace". Aerospace Global News. https://aerospaceglobalnews.com/news/4-1-million-faa-grant-for-heart-aerospace/. 
  40. ↑ "Heart Aerospace received FAA's grant to accelerate the airline electrification". AvioRadar. 12 September 2024. https://avioradar.net/en/heart-aerospace-received-faas-grant-to-accelerate-the-airline-electrification/. 

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