Vermont-based Beta Technologies has developed an electric aircraft that can fly more than three hundred miles on a single charge. The company's founder Kyle Clark told ABC News that a one-hour flight costs approximately eight dollars in energy, compared to roughly three hundred twenty dollars for a comparable gas-powered aircraft.
The Beta plane charges for just thirteen dollars in fifty minutes and can get in the air in fifteen seconds, according to Clark. The company has been working on the aircraft for twenty years with the goal of making faster and cheaper medical flights and deliveries possible.
UPS has already ordered one hundred fifty of the electric planes. The company plans to launch operations throughout the United States in September, starting from Vermont, New York, down to Florida, Texas, and California, initially delivering packages and medical supplies, and shortly thereafter carrying people.
There are two models of the Beta plane. One is designed to lift off and land vertically like a helicopter, and another takes off on a runway like a regular aircraft. Charging stations are already appearing across the country with more on the way.
During a flight demonstration for ABC News, Clark showed that the aircraft has two motors hidden behind the propeller. He demonstrated turning off both motors in flight, showing the plane can glide four times as well as a regular airplane, acting as a safety backup.
The company is a family affair. Clark's wife Katie and children are all involved. His daughter Lilla flew a plane before she ever drove a car. Clark said the children were homeschooled and that building aircraft was their math and science education.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy tested the Beta planes last week. The company is seeking FAA certification, which several companies building electric aircraft are hoping to receive in the coming year. Clark compared the innovation to what the Wright brothers did when they created the first airplane using technologies from non-aerospace sources.