The Electra is the first battery-powered electric aircraft that will have an air-worthiness certificate in Europe, according to its builder, Anne Lavrand. (The Electra uses battery power at all times. It does not glide. The Pipistrel Taurus and the Antares, by contrast, are gliders that use battery power to take off and gain altitude.)
The Electra demonstration craft first flew in December for 48 minutes on lithium polymer batteries.
Lavrand is the president of APAME, whose acronym translates from French to Association for the Promotion of Electric Powered Aircraft. She is seeking funds to create Electravia, an effort to design more eco-friendly, electric-powered light aircraft.
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