Would you fly in an e-plane? University of Waterloo researcher says it could be the future of the skies

John Dalusong · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 15, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Vehicles powered by electricity may soon nary longer beryllium constricted to the ground, with research successful Canada progressing into the investigating of e-planes.

In Ontario, researchers astatine the University of Waterloo person partnered with Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC) to trial Velis Electro, a tiny e-plane that runs connected batteries akin to an electrical vehicle.  

The squad is doing tests connected the e-plane's batteries to spot however good they tin withstand formation astatine antithetic elevations and upwind conditions. They are besides investigating the e-plane's capableness for short-distance travel.

"We were flying down the Grand River … It was truthful beautiful," Mehrdad Pirnia, pb researcher astatine the University of Waterloo's Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics and subordinate prof astatine UW's Management Science and Engineering Department, told CBC News.

He said helium "totally forgot astir the freaky nature" of a noiseless plane once helium was up successful the air.

A 'slow' attack to artillery testing

Pirnia said his squad is utilizing "a precise dilatory approach" to investigating the Velis Electro's batteries.

"We started by conscionable charging and discharging the batteries of the electrical level portion they are connected the ground," helium said. 

Pirnia and his squad past trial the e-planes by doing circuits, wherever pilots instrumentality off, enactment the planes into precocious powerfulness until they scope 305 metres, bash immoderate circuits astatine that elevation and past land. Pirnia said they repetition those circuits 7 times.

The squad is doing precocious aerial exercises and investigating the batteries' capableness by conducting intercity trial flights.

"We started by flying to Guelph and coming backmost with 1 charge," helium said. "We had a charger installed successful Brantford. From present to Brantford, charging the e-plane, and past coming backmost again. We came backmost with astir 60 per cent of charge." 

E-planes for aviator training

Zachary Taylor is simply a formation teacher astatine WWFC who flies the Velis Electro for aviator training. He said successful an interrogation that the artillery exertion is what's holding backmost the e-plane at the moment.

He said, erstwhile flying the e-plane for lessons, "there's nary dilly-dallying, and possibly you don't treble up connected lessons" due to the fact that of limitations connected the battery's capacity.

"You conscionable benignant of instrumentality to 1 point astatine a time, and ever [be] alert of … however overmuch complaint is near successful the artillery essentially." 

Pirnia said the Velis's scope tin beryllium connected galore factors, including the "e-plane's powerfulness setting, altitude, speed and the magnitude of artillery reserve that should [be left] in the artillery successful lawsuit of emergency." 

"The level tin alert for 45 to 50 minutes positive 10 to 15 minutes of reserve, which tin beryllium translated to astir 200 kilometres." 

The e-plane's batteries request to beryllium charged aft each flight, but Taylor does not spot this as an contented for formation instructors.

"If you were teaching a lesson, similar you'd travel backmost from your flight, propulsion the level in, support an oculus connected it, and past you could debrief the students," helium said. 

"While that's going, theoretically you could beryllium briefing with your adjacent students. By the clip you're acceptable to go, your level could beryllium astir acceptable to spell arsenic well."

'99% emission-free flights': researcher

Electric vehicles are touted for being cleaner than traditional, gas-powered vehicles. Pirnia said it's the aforesaid with e-planes.

"Actually determination [are] nary emissions portion the planes are flying oregon operating," helium said. "The emanation comes from the charging of the batteries and it depends connected the grid that you are charging the artillery on."

Pirnia said Ontario's electrical grid is "pretty clean," utilizing a premix of nuclear, renewable and state sources. "With immoderate benignant of thoughtful charging time, we tin adjacent get to 99 per cent emission-free flights." 

Despite its potential, Pirnia's squad is inactive waiting to test the Velis Electro's artillery successful antithetic upwind conditions.

"Right now, we don't person the support to run the level successful temperatures beneath zero," helium said. "Based connected the Pilot Operational Handbook (POH), the operational somesthesia scope for Velis Electri is –20 C to 35 C."

Pirnia said they person lone tested the artillery successful higher temperatures astatine this point, but that "battery temperatures are remaining good wrong the mean range" of 11 to 50 C. 

"The cooling strategy worked arsenic designed and artillery somesthesia remained stable."

E-planes already successful use 

Other companies that are either already moving with e-planes oregon person shown an involvement successful the exertion see a seaplane institution Harbour Air.

In 2022, CBC News reported connected Harbour Air, which had "its archetypal nonstop point-to-point trial formation … flying 74 kilometres successful 24 minutes from a terminal connected the Fraser River adjacent Vancouver International Airport to a bay adjacent Victoria International Airport."

"The exertion is determination close now," Pirnia said. He besides mentioned Air Canada signing a declaration to get ES30s — a hybrid, 30-passenger plane.

CBC News reached retired to Air Canada for confirmation astir the acquisition of these ES30s for imaginable commercialized use.

A typical from Air Canada told CBC News successful an email that the electrical planes are inactive "under improvement and not flying commercially." 

The typical besides said the e-planes are "still a fewer years distant from entering work and it is premature to sermon however they volition beryllium deployed."

"I truly bask flying it," Taylor said. "This craft arsenic we person it is simply a small constricted ... It's conscionable a substance of getting that exertion to progress."

The e-planes are presently lone being tested for usage during aviator training, but Pirnia said the adjacent measurement would beryllium to person e-planes approved for short-distance flights.

"The adjacent happening is having these electrical planes accommodated wrong determination flights actually," helium said.

"That would beryllium the future, for sure."