Boeing-backed electric commuter plane could take off in 2022

A Seattle-area startup backed by the venture capital arms of Boeing and JetBlue Airways has announced plans to begin selling a hybrid-electric commuter aircraft by 2022.

The small plane is the first of several planned by Zunum Aero, which said it would seat up to 12 passengers and be powered by two electric motors, dramatically reducing the travel time and cost of trips under 1,000 miles (1,600km), The Guardian reports.

Zunum’s plans and timetable underscore a rush to develop small electric aircraft based on rapidly evolving battery technology and artificial intelligence systems that avoid obstacles on a road or in the sky.

In a separate but related development, Boeing said on Thursday it planned to acquire a company that specialises in electric and autonomous flight to help its own efforts to develop such aircraft.

Several companies, including Uber Technologies and European planemaker Airbus, are working on electric self-flying cars.

Zunum does not expect to be the first to certify an electric-powered aircraft with regulators. Rather, it is aiming to fill a market gap for regional travel by airlines, where private jets and commercial jetliners are too costly for many to use.

Zunum’s planes would be intended to fly from thousands of small airports around big cities to cut regional travel times and costs.

“Airlines are very keen to know how to fly a shorter distance and make money on it,” said Matt Knapp, co-founder and chief aeronautic engineer of the Kirkland, Washington-based company.

A flight from Silicon Valley to Los Angeles, for instance, would leave from Palo Alto, San Carlos, Hayward or Reid Hillview airports and arrive in Santa Monica, Burbank, Hawthorne or San Gabriel Valley airports. The cost would be about $120 one way, the company said.