The Future of Aviation is Electric | Kristen Costello | TEDxBoston

The speaker, with 16 years in aviation, including flight instruction, corporate jets, and regulatory work with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), joined Beta, an aviation startup based in Burlington, Vermont, rather than Silicon Valley. Beta's mission resonated with the speaker's aviator identity due to its deep-seated aviation culture. Aviation has always evolved in response to its era's pressures, from proving viable in WWI to essential in WWII, and shrinking the world in the jet age. For decades, the industry prioritized safety, making aviation one of the safest transport modes. However, new challenges threaten its sustainability, including emissions constraints, fuel volatility, infrastructure strain, and global competition. The solution lies in innovation and disciplined execution, not just bold concepts. While terms like eVTOL and air taxi are familiar, Beta is also bringing eCTOL (conventional takeoff and landing) aircraft to market, focusing on foundational principles for scalability. Beta, founded in 2017, originated from the founder's Harvard thesis. An early tilt-rotor eVTOL prototype proved technical capability but was deemed too complex, relying on liquid cooling and having too many moving parts for efficient certification. This led to a strategic pivot towards simplicity, adopting a lift-plus-cruise eVTOL design and a philosophy that became Beta's strategic advantage. Beta is innovating in energy storage systems, designing, manufacturing, and testing batteries at a state-of-the-art facility in St. Albans, Vermont. Their focus extends beyond meeting containment standards for thermal runaway events to preventing them through sensor technology and deep data integration. This predictive capability, if credited in certification, incentivizes safer systems, raising the bar for aviation safety. Another innovation is electric propulsion. Beta's stepwise certification approach started with certifying the propeller last year. They are now on track to certify the first electric engine in the US later this year under existing Part 33 regulations, the first new propulsion system since the 1950s. This engine, lacking combustion or liquid cooling, has fewer moving parts, reducing maintenance burden and operating costs, which enhances scalability and economic viability. This electric engine powers the eCTOL, certified under existing Part 23 frameworks with no special conditions. It requires no special training, integrating seamlessly into current airspace and airport infrastructure. The eVTOL, a lift-plus-cruise configuration with four rotors for vertical takeoff and helicopter-like landing, is certified under Part 21.17B as a special class project. These two aircraft variants share 80% design commonality, streamlining manufacturing, certification, and training. Beta's training syllabus for the eVTOL incorporates the eCTOL syllabus for the first three modules, easing the transition to powered lift aircraft. Beta is also addressing the charging infrastructure bottleneck. They developed and deployed the only UL-certified, multi-modal, and interoperable charger on the market, compatible with Beta aircraft, other CCS-standard aircraft, and ground EVs. Over 50 chargers are deployed globally, with 107 sites in development, establishing the only nationwide charging network. Beta has moved beyond proof-of-concept, flying over 125,000 nautical miles, including coast-to-coast US flights, complex airspace operations, and European tours. Six-month customer deployments with Air New Zealand and Bristow demonstrated 40-70% reductions in operating costs compared to traditionally fueled counterparts. Electric aviation addresses economic survival, environmental responsibility, and global leadership. It reduces operating costs and fuel price volatility, aligns with environmental realities, and positions the industry for leadership. Beta's philosophy emphasizes simplicity, executed with discipline, as the key to a reliable, scalable, and revolutionary future for aviation.