Aircraft
Electron Targets 2027 Flight For E5 Electric Prototype
Full-scale all-electric aircraft will feature recent design revisions
Electron E5 aircraft graphic
The twin-powerplant E5 features a high-aspect-ratio,18 meter wingspan to optimise aerodynamic efficiency. © Electron

Dutch startup Electron is fundraising to build a full-scale flying prototype of its all-electric E5 Albatross aircraft. The non-type-conforming aircraft will include recent design revisions and is expected to make its first flight in 2027.

An earlier iteration of the five-passenger aircraft concept, for which work started in 2021, featured a front lifting wing reminiscent of the Piaggio P.180 Avanti. This has now been removed, with Electron believing this added unnecessary complexity for minimal performance enhancement. Twin pusher propellers have also been substituted for wing-mounted tractor propellers, and a high T-tail replaces an earlier cross-tail.