Leading the charge | Can electric aircraft make a difference?

As electric fixed-wing aircraft prepare to take off, Hannah Dowling sits down with the best and brightest in this budding sector to learn about Australia’s future in e-aviation

“Australia is the enemy of electric aviation” is hardly the sentiment I expected to hear from one of the local pioneers of this technology. “We have a relatively small population spread out across an immense area, which, when you’re working with technology primarily designed to carry people across shorter ranges with more frequency, Australia is simply not the poster child for electric aircraft. It’s very difficult to get high volumes.” And yet, this is the sector that Korum Ellis, founder and CEO of Western Australia- based electric aircraft distributor FlyOnE, has decided to dedicate himself to – and he’s far from alone.

In reality, Australia is leading the pack when it comes to next-generation aviation technologies, with universities, startups, and legacy industry leaders all working hard to see our small country profit from the commercialisation of electric propulsion. While a lot of research, resources and keen intrigue has been poured into the R&D of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) – not least by the Australian government, CASA, and yours truly – you might be surprised to learn that Australia is also home to multiple fixed-wing electric propulsion aircraft concepts with market-building potential.