Mass-produced electric aircraft are becoming a reality. Example: Beta Technologies‘ electric aircraft production facility is now open in Vermont. It’s a major step for the company as it continues toward its heading of delivering its electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to military and commercial customers.

Production of Up to 300 Aircraft Per Year

The doors are now open to Beta Technologies’ electric aircraft production facility. The facility is located at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in South Burlington, Vermont. The facility is where Beta Technologies will manufacture and assemble its all-electric aircraft. At this time, production has begun with the installation of tooling used for assembly and the initiation of various system production lines. When it’s completely up and running the 188,500 square-foot facility will be used to produce up to 300 aircraft per year. The facility is located on a 40-acre site, so there’s room for significant expansion. Furthermore, the company says that the facility is expected to create hundreds of jobs.

Beta Technologies team.

Beta Technologies’ Electric Aircraft Production facility is a Manufacturing Marvel

The facility is a manufacturing marvel. It’s equipped with 260 geothermal wells that provide energy for interior temperature control. It also has nearly three acres of roof-mounted solar panels. And to replace 100,000 cubic feet of Styrofoam insulation, a structural sub-base supports concrete foundations and is made by a glass aggregate of 99 percent recycled glass and 1 percent binder. Additionally, the facility has floor to ceiling windows and a quarter-acre skylight, which results in natural light throughout the building.

Testing, Testing, and More Testing

As you can imagine, a cutting-edge facility making cutting-edge aircraft doesn’t just happen. Prior to the facility opening its doors there were a series of steps taken to ensure production readiness. For example, the company refined pilot production line efficiency and flow for battery packs, electric motors, and inverters. Additionally, the company developed and instituted its quality management systems and manufacturing procedures and standards. The company is working closely with the FAA to certify those procedures and standards. So far, Beta Technologies has flown more than 500 full-scale, piloted flights on Beta-built battery systems, and it has conducted more than 10,000 hours of testing on the electric motors produced on its pilot production lines.

Alia aircraft during a flight test at the flight testing facility in Plattsburgh, New York.

About the Motors and Batteries

Beta Technologies aircraft use a proprietary electric motor, inverter, battery systems, and flight controls. The company designed and will produce these items internally. This allows the company to optimize each for safety, weight, performance, and reliability. The company’s motors have a redundant design powered by redundant three-phase inverters. This helps to create a simple, safe, and efficient powertrain. After flying multi-leg, 1,000-mile-plus missions the powertrain demonstrated a 97.5 percent efficiency during cruise flight. The motors are fed by up to five energy-dense modular battery packs. Each battery pack holds 45 to 60 kWh of power. The proprietary battery systems incorporate pack- and cell-level cooling as well as additional thermal and safety redundancies.

About the Aircraft

Beta Technologies will offer two aircraft. One is the Alia-250 that offers vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). The other is the CX300, a fixed-wing conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft. Both are based on the company’s Alia platform. This simple platform, which the company says is inspired by nature, is designed using first principles of physics to fly in the safest, most efficient way possible. Because of the electric propulsion system, the aircraft produce zero operational emissions. The aircraft have a lightweight structure and an exceptionally aerodynamic form factor. Each aircraft has a 50-foot wingspan and will carry up to five people and a pilot.

Entering the Next Phase

“The team here at Beta is excited to enter the next phase of our growing electric aerospace business. We have worked through research, engineering, prototyping, test flying, initial phases of certification and now we are entering our net important step of starting production, in an inspiring facility,” said Kyle Clark, CEO and Founder of Beta. “The internal Beta team along with many awesome local contractors, tradespeople and civil servants have challenged each other to create a beautiful, sustainable, and functional building for producing the future of aviation. We are incredibly thankful to this community.”

Beta Technologies Also Makes Chargers

It’s also important to note that Beta Technologies makes a charger called the Charge Cube. It offers 320 kW of continuous power, a battery charge rate of up to 1,000 Vdc, and continuous charge current of 350 amps. The company has nine publicly accessible chargers online with 55 in permitting or construction. The company has plans to have 150 online by 2025. The chargers can be used for next-gen electric aircraft as well as ground-based EVs.