# Heart Aerospace

**Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/heart-aerospace  
**Vertical:** Transportation  
**Subcategory:** Electric Regional Aviation  
**Tier:** Emerging  
**Website:** heartaerospace.com  
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14

## Summary

Heart Aerospace develops hybrid-electric regional aircraft to electrify short-haul commercial flights, backed by United Airlines, Mesa Air, and Bill Gates.

## Company Overview

Heart Aerospace is a Swedish electric aviation company founded in 2018 that is developing the ES-30, a hybrid-electric regional aircraft designed to carry 30 passengers on routes up to 400 kilometers. The company is targeting the regional aviation segment where short routes and lower utilization requirements make electric propulsion more economically viable than long-haul jet operations. Heart raised over $100M with backing from United Airlines Ventures, Mesa Air Group, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which is funded by Bill Gates. The ES-30 uses a hybrid-electric powertrain with electric motors for takeoff and climb and turbine generators for cruise, allowing the aircraft to operate on existing airport infrastructure while achieving significant emissions reductions compared to conventional turboprop aircraft. Heart is targeting EASA and FAA type certification and has a memorandum of understanding for orders from regional airline partners. The company is based in Gothenburg, Sweden and leverages the European aviation regulatory environment and government support for green aviation technology development.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is Heart Aerospace?
Heart Aerospace is developing the ES-30, a hybrid-electric regional aircraft for 30 passengers on routes up to 400 kilometers, targeting the short-haul commercial aviation segment where electrification is most economically viable.

### Who has invested in or ordered Heart Aerospace aircraft?
Heart Aerospace is backed by United Airlines Ventures and Mesa Air Group as potential customers, and by Breakthrough Energy Ventures funded by Bill Gates, providing both strategic aviation partners and climate-focused capital.

### How does the ES-30 hybrid system work?
The ES-30 uses electric motors powered by batteries for the high-power takeoff and climb phases, then switches to turbine generators for cruise, combining the efficiency of electric propulsion with the range of turbine power generation.

### What is the ES-30 and when is it expected to enter service?
The ES-30 is Heart Aerospace's 30-passenger hybrid-electric regional aircraft targeting routes up to 400 km in all-electric mode (up to 800 km in hybrid mode with generators). Entry into service is targeted for 2028, pending certification by EASA and other aviation authorities — an ambitious timeline for a novel hybrid-electric powertrain.

### Where is Heart Aerospace based and what is its Swedish connection?
Heart Aerospace is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden and has deep connections to Sweden's aviation and engineering community. The Swedish government and Nordic aviation stakeholders are particularly interested in electric aviation due to Scandinavia's high density of short-hop routes between coastal cities and islands where electric range is well-suited.

### Why did Heart Aerospace pivot from all-electric to hybrid-electric?
Heart originally designed a purely battery-electric aircraft (ES-19) with limited range. Battery energy density advances slower than hoped, so Heart pivoted to the ES-30 with turbine generators that extend range beyond what batteries alone can provide — a pragmatic concession to battery limitations that increases near-term commercial viability at the cost of not achieving zero direct emissions during the generator portion of longer flights.

### What does United Airlines' investment in Heart Aerospace mean?
United Airlines Ventures invested in Heart Aerospace as part of United's decarbonization strategy and portfolio of sustainable aviation investments. The investment provides Heart with aviation operator expertise and signals commercial airline intent — a key validation for Heart's investor and certification conversations — while giving United an early position in the electric regional aviation market.

### How does the ES-30's hybrid system compare to conventional turboprop engines?
The ES-30 uses electric motors powered by batteries for high-power phases (takeoff and climb), then switches to gas turbine generators for cruise. This hybrid approach reduces direct fuel burn and emissions by 50–70% versus conventional turboprops for typical routes, while extending range beyond battery limitations — a pragmatic step toward decarbonization without the range sacrifice of pure electric.

## Tags

startup, ev, transportation, technology, hardware, europe, supply-chain, b2b

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*Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*