From Stadler Rail and InductEV to First Student, Waabi, H55, and more, these companies are bringing fresh thinking to moving people and goods—on land, at sea, and in the air.
This year’s list of the most innovative transportation companies represents a mix of established players and energetic upstarts that are working on a shared goal: to build a more sustainable future for the transportation of people and goods—on land, at sea, or in the air.
[…]10. H55
For sending ultralight, long-lasting EV batteries to the skies
Mile for mile, flying is our most carbon-intensive mode of transit. Low-carbon alternatives, while almost certainly the future of sustainable air travel, remain a distant dream for now. Batteries are the limiting factor: Today’s technology couldn’t power a 737 off the tarmac, let alone get you to Des Moines. Swiss aviation company H55 is working at the cutting edge of such technology; its Cessna-size planes can now run on electricity alone. The company focuses on electric propulsion and battery storage, two related but distinct areas that together comprise H55’s flagship electric propulsion system.
Founded by Swiss explorer and entrepreneur André Borschberg—who, in 2016, became the first person to circumnavigate the planet in a solar-powered plane—H55 made strides in 2024. That February, its battery storage packs passed the penultimate step toward EU certification. In May, H55 announced the B23 Energic, a fully electric two-seater developed in partnership with Czech airplane manufacturer BRM Aero. The plane can stay aloft for an hour, plus a few minutes to spare; a full charge costs an average of just $7. Delivery of the first batch is expected sometime this year, to a select group of trusted training academies. A few months later, in July 2024, the company announced it had raised 65 million Swiss francs, around $74 million, in Series C funding led by Investissement Québec, the Canadian provincial government’s investment corporation. Meanwhile, construction continues at H55’s state-of-the-art production facility outside Montreal, which broke ground in 2023.
The momentum carried into the new year. In January, H55 signed a memorandum of understanding with London-based developer of aviation charging systems, Aerovolt, to drastically ramp up electric planes’ geographic range. As part of its commitment, the British company will acquire two B23 Energic planes, bringing H55’s electric propulsion system to the U.K. If all goes to plan, the B23 Energic soon will be the first electric aircraft to receive EU certification.
[…]Written by BY Jessica Bursztynsky
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