MIT spin-off Electra plans $850 million Ohio plant for hybrid 8-motor aircraft
Electra, born from a 2017 MIT class project, is moving toward an $850 million factory in Ohio to build a nine-passenger hybrid plane that can take off from a soccer-field-sized area.
A classroom study at MIT in 2017 evolved into Electra, a company that plans to invest $850 million in a 96-acre manufacturing complex in Springfield and Clark County, Ohio. The firm’s eight-motor hybrid aircraft combines a nose-mounted gas generator with electric propulsion, enabling takeoffs and landings on spaces the size of a soccer field. Designed for regional routes of 50 to 250 miles, the nine-seat plane can travel about 1,200 miles at roughly 200 mph.
The EL2 two-seat demonstrator has completed more than 200 flights since its debut in 2023. Construction of the plant is expected to begin next year, creating nearly 2,000 jobs and initially delivering up to 400 aircraft per year, with a possible later increase to 800. Electra also envisions military, cargo and humanitarian applications for the aircraft.
Why it matters
The project could reshape regional travel by reducing reliance on traditional runways and large airports.
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