Elon Musk (@elonmusk) praised Heart Aerospace after the company completed the first flight of its X1 battery-electric aircraft demonstrator, while saying the next important step should be autonomy. Heart said the piloted X1 flew for 27 minutes and used roughly $5 worth of electricity. The 25,000-pound aircraft climbed to 1,100 feet and delivered more than one megawatt of electric propulsion power. The company calls X1 the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown. Founder and CEO Anders Forslund said the test demonstrated electric aviation at a scale relevant to commercial aircraft. Musk responded positively to the milestone, writing that he was glad the project was being pursued. He added that making the aircraft autonomous should be a key next step. Heart developed X1 as a test platform for its ES-30, a planned 30-seat hybrid-electric regional aircraft. The company is targeting about 125 miles of all-electric range and up to 500 miles using hybrid operation. Heart is aiming for 30-minute charging and certification of the ES-30 by 2031. It says the aircraft could eventually reduce operating costs by more than 40%. The company has attracted major backing, including $107 million from Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Air Canada has also ordered 30 ES-30 aircraft and invested $5 million in Heart. Musk has previously argued that transportation will eventually become both electric and autonomous, including aircraft. Heart’s current roadmap remains focused on crewed regional aviation, so autonomy would represent a major additional step beyond its existing plans.