Flying in Beta Technologies' Alia CX300 showed me why electric planes aren't mainstream yet

tk Beta's electric plane can already fly for hours. So why aren't paying passengers riding in one yet? The biggest roadblock is hiding under the floor: nearly 3,000 pounds of batteries. Beta is racing toward a 2027 certification target, but getting airborne may be the easy part. US airline fares rose almost 24% over the past year, making the prospect of cheaper short flights especially appealing. One possible solution: electric planes. For our video series, "The Limit," I recently took a 25-minute flight on Beta Technologies' Alia CX300. The journey used about $5.25 in electricity. A comparable trip in a conventional jet-fuel-powered plane would have cost an estimated 10 times as much in fuel, about $60 Electric aviation has spent decades promising an electric-car-style revolution. Beyond lower costs, electric planes could make short flights quieter and produce no in-flight emissions. Now, one Vermont-based company is facing a crucial test. Beta Technologies is aiming to get its Alia CX300 certified by the Federal Aviation Administration by the end of 2027. The plane has already flown nearly 400 miles on a charge and stayed airborne for over five hours. The question is whether those advantages can translate into a viable business. Other electric-aircraft startups have run into financial trouble after spending years trying to bring aircraft to market. I toured Beta's manufacturing facility, watched how it builds its batteries and aircraft, and flew aboard the CX300 myself. What I saw helps explain why electric planes still aren't regularly carrying passengers, more than 50 years after the first electric aircraft flew — and what Beta has to accomplish over the next year if it wants to change that. Beta thinks controlling almost everything could give it an edge. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images Other electric-aircraft companies have already gone under after spending years and billions of dollars trying to bring their planes to market. Beta is taking a vertically integrated approach, building its own batteries, propulsion systems, planes, and charging technology. The company went public in November 2025, raising more than $1 billion. “It was the largest founder-led industrial IPO in history,” Beta founder and CEO Kyle Clark told me. The physics are still working against electric planes. Each of Beta's battery packs weighs about 560 pounds. Busienss Insider In order to fly about 300 nautical miles, the Alia CX300 must carry nearly 3,000 pounds of batteries. The jet fuel needed to fly a comparable distance would weigh only about 50 pounds. The CX300 can carry just five passengers and one pilot, underscoring how battery weight constrains the size and range of electric aircraft. That's why Beta is initially targeting relatively short routes of about 150 to 200 miles. So Beta designed an airplane around using as little energy as possible. Business Insider The CX300's 50-foot tapered wingspan, V-shaped tail, and rear-mounted propeller reduce drag and conserve battery power. Its wing shape was inspired by the Arctic tern, a bird known for its long migrations. During my flight, the pilot shut off the motor, and the aircraft continued gliding without power. With a roughly 17-to-1 lift-to-drag ratio, Beta says the CX300 could glide down to a suitable landing strip after a complete loss of power. The CX300 is fast and surprisingly maneuverable. Business Insider While I was inside the aircraft, the sheer acceleration took me by surprise. The CX300 reached roughly 87 knots, about 100 mph, before lifting off, and once we were airborne, the pilot put the plane through a series of sharp rolls and banks. The flight was smooth overall, though the sharp banking was enough to make me a little queasy. I don't blame the electric propulsion: I think that would have happened to me in any small plane. Then there's the infrastructure problem. Inside Beta Technologies headquarters. Business Insider A gas-powered aircraft can land and refuel at airports around the world, while an electric plane needs charging infrastructure to get back into the air. Beta has installed more than 120 charging stations across the US, and its system can recharge an aircraft in under an hour. The company is also building the charging technology itself, meaning it can develop the planes, batteries, propulsion systems, and infrastructure as parts of the same ecosystem. Beta is spending hundreds of millions before its plane reaches commercial service. Business Insider Getting the technology to work is expensive. Beta says it generated a little more than $35 million in revenue last year against about $400 million in operating expenses. The company is also building a business around replacement batteries, which it expects customers to need repeatedly over an aircraft's lifetime. 2027 could be the real test. Business Insider Beta is targeting FAA-conforming production of the Alia CX300, its conventional-takeoff aircraft, a