BETA Founder/CEO: Electric Aircraft Essential to Sustainability

In 2017, Kyle Clark, founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, met with entrepreneur and early BETA supporter Martine Rothblatt to share ideas on electric aviation – spurring what would become BETA’s entry point to developing innovative electric aircraft and charging technologies.

“The best way to get something done is to start doing it, and start with something relatively humble,” Clark said.

In BETA’s case, this “humble” start was an eVTOL aircraft. Several short years after those initial discussions, BETA used that first prototype, Ava, to inspire ALIA, a short/medium-haul cargo electric aircraft capable of conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) and VTOL. In 2022, ALIA completed a 2,400-mile cross-country flight with one leg of 293 miles. Since then, ALIA has beat its own record, and flew what is believed to be the longest battery electric flight ever, with a flight of 336 nm in 2022. Over the past several months, the company has flown up and down the east coast and completed a three-month deployment with the U.S. Air Force.

In addition, the company is now a leader in the design and development of charging technology for electric aircraft.

BETA’s approach to AAM – an incremental process that implements eCTOL aircraft, followed by eVTOL – means very low risk while integrating into the airspace, Clark explained. For eCTOL aircraft, demonstrating safe electric propulsion for certification purposes is the main challenge. For eVTOL aircraft, Clark says municipal permissions and airman certification present additional challenges.

Jurisdiction and preemption issues are a significant and somewhat unusual consideration for the successful launch of AAM.

“We aren’t just working with the FAA; rules are highly variable from state to state and city to city, with some entities more permissive and others more prohibitive,” said Clark.

Pilot certification requirements are another unique challenge for VTOL aircraft, because, despite some FAA regulatory action, there’s more work to be done to reach a practical solution.

As more electric aircraft are certificated, Clark believes small electric aircraft can play a significant role in business aviation.

“People think small electric aircraft aren’t fast enough, but if it can get you closer to your end destination, it is fast enough,” Clark said. “You can trade convenience for speed in most cases; you don’t have to fly really fast if you can go directly to your destination.”

Clark believes electric aircraft under development now are essential to aviation’s path to sustainability.

“We can’t procrastinate and have a regional jet replacement in 2045 to meet 2050 sustainability goals – there’s too much work to be done,” Clark said. “If we develop eCTOL for short range regional travel, then eVTOLs, then longer range eCTOL certificated under Part 23, we’re covering 25% of business aviation by miles and half of business aviation flights in electric aircraft by 2032.”