Electric vehicles are set to take to the skies, with Air Canada announcing on Thursday that it has ordered 30 plug-in planes from the Swedish electric aircraft startup company, Heart Aerospace. The electric planes are expected to have an operational range of just 124 to 248 miles per charge.

Air Canada will be acquiring 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid regional aircraft, which will have the capacity for up to 30 passengers to travel between 124 and 248 miles, the company said in a press release on Thursday.

“The revolutionary regional aircraft, expected to enter service in 2028, will generate zero emissions flying on battery power and yield significant operational savings and benefits,” Air Canada said. “Under the agreement, Air Canada has also acquired a US$5 million equity stake in Heart Aerospace.” Of course, the claim of “zero emissions” from electric vehicles is a myth when emissions related to the production of batteries are taken into account.

Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, said, “Air Canada has taken a leadership position in the industry to address climate change.”

“The introduction into our fleet of the ES-30 electric regional aircraft from Heart Aerospace will be a step forward to our goal of net zero emissions by 2050,” Rousseau insisted. “Already, Air Canada is supporting the development of new technologies, such as sustainable aviation fuels and carbon capture, to address climate change.”

The electric planes will be powered by lithium-ion batteries, and will be equipped with reserve-hybrid generators. It is also expected to take 30 to 50 minutes to charge the aircraft.

Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, noted that “Air Canada is a strategically important partner for Heart Aerospace.”

“The company has one of the world’s largest networks operated by regional turboprops, and it is also a progressive, future leaning company especially in the green transmission,” Forslund said. “With the ES-30 we can start cutting emissions from air travel well before the end of this decade.”

Heart Aerospace states that its mission is to “create the world’s greenest, most affordable, and most accessible form of transport,” and hopes to see electric air travel become “the new normal for regional flights.”

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