“"50 minutes"”
For decades, electric flight was relegated to experimental homebuilts and university demonstrations. On 10 June 2020, that changed. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a type certificate to the Pipistrel Velis Electro, a two-seat trainer developed in Ajdovščina, Slovenia, making it the first fully electric aircraft to be certified for commercial use anywhere on Earth. The certification process, completed in under three years, was made possible by the first-ever certified electric aero-engine, the Pipistrel E-811, approved by EASA on 18 May 2020. With a 58 kW liquid-cooled motor and a maximum take-off weight of 600 kg, the Velis Electro offers up to 50 minutes of quiet, emission-free flight—ideal for ab initio training. EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky called it “an exciting breakthrough,” noting that it would “certainly not be the last” electric certification. For the wider industry, the Velis Electro established the regulatory template for battery-powered propulsion systems, proving that electric aviation could meet the same safety standards as its fossil-fuelled forebears and paving the way for everything from air taxis to commuter liners.
The engineering principles pioneered here—For decades, electric flight was relegated to experimental homebuilts and univer—are still embedded in the aircraft you fly today.