World’s largest electric cargo plane unveiled, here’s how far it can fly on its own
A new zero-emission autonomous electric cargo plane was unveiled Monday that could be a game changer in the shipping industry. The electric plane is the largest zero-emission cargo aircraft, featuring “unprecedented payload and range capabilities.”
Founded in 2017 in CEO Michael Norcia’s parent’s garage, Pyka is now a leader in electric unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.
Initially, the focus was on crop spraying rather than cargo, with fewer regulations and hurdles to clear. After raising a $3 million round in March 2018 from Y Combinator, a tech startup accelerator, Pyka set up to design and build its first product, the “Egret.”
By May 2019, Pyka certified the Egret for commercial operation with the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority, making it the first human-scale electric aircraft for commercial work.
Shortly after raising another $8 million in funding, the company flew its second-generation electric crop sprayer, the “Pelican.” The Pelican would soon go to work spraying bananas for major customers in Costa Rica.
In July 2021, Pyka’s Pelican was the first autonomous fixed-wing aerial to spray over a banana crop field. The young aviation company is now making history again, introducing its Pelican Cargo, the world’s largest autonomous electric cargo plane.
Pyka reveals the largest autonomous electric cargo plane
Pyka, gave us a glimpse into what the future could look like with its Pelican Cargo. The purpose-built industrial aircraft is the largest zero-emission cargo airplane and the first autonomous vehicle in its class.
The company believes that electrification and automation will make aviation safer while reducing CO2 emissions, as Norcia explains:
Pelican Cargo will have a significant positive impact on people’s lives. We designed this plane to eliminate C02 emissions from the logistics chain, while offering a significant speed advantage over ground transportation and operating costs at a fraction of conventional air transportation.
The Pelican Cargo will feature a range of up to 200 miles (with a 20 min reserve) and a payload of up to 400 lbs in 66 feet of cargo space. With a sliding cargo tray, loading can be done in five minutes.
The electric airplane features four electric motors, 100 kW combined power, and a 50 kWh lithium-ion swappable battery. As for charging, you can either swap batteries (a five-minute process) or recharge in around one hour – added GPS and Laser/Radar based navigation allow for night flying.
Pyka says it has secured pre-commitments of over 80 orders and options for its electric cargo plane from three customers. The company is rigorously testing the aircraft at Pyka’s test facility in Northern California, with its first commercial operation expected in the second half of the year.
One of Pyka’s customers, Alex Brown of Skysports Drone Services, had high praise for the electric aircraft, saying:
Welcoming the Pelican Cargo aircraft into our fleet will enable us to continue on our mission of solving complex logistical and operational challenges with tailored drone services. We know a thing or two about drones and in our eyes, the Pelican Cargo is the most advanced product in its payload class on the market.
Electrek’s Take
Pyka is on a mission to make aviation safer, more affordable, and more accessible than ever with its autonomous electric aircraft.
By going electric, customers can save on volatile fuel costs. Not to mention the money saved without requiring a crew to operate it (only one safety monitor is needed). Fewer expenses and labor costs can result in additional trips per day and less waiting time between deliveries, saving both businesses and customers in the long run.
Perhaps, the most important aspect is the CO2 emissions that could be saved with this technology. Air transport generated 915 million tonnes of CO2 in 2019, and the trend is expected to continue rising rapidly as people’s buying habits move online.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has already committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2050. Although the majority of CO2 emissions in commercial aviation is from passenger transport, starting with short-distance freight transport will help make an immediate impact while laying the groundwork for fully electric (autonomous?) passenger flights in the future.
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Kia’s electric SUVs are taking over. The EV3 is the best-selling retail EV in the UK this year, giving Kia its strongest sales start since it arrived 34 years ago. And it’s not just in the UK. Kia just had its best first quarter globally since it started selling cars in 1962.
Kia EV3 is the best-selling EV in the UK through March
In March, Kia sold a record nearly 20,000 vehicles in the UK, making it the fourth best-selling brand. It was also the second top-seller of electrified vehicles (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs), accounting for over 55% of sales.
The EV3 remained the best-selling retail EV in the UK last month. Including the EV6, three-row EV9, and Niro EV, electric vehicles represented 21% of Kia’s UK sales in March.
Kia said the EV3 “started with a bang” in January, darting out as the UK’s most popular EV in retail sales. Through March, Kia’s electric SUV has held on to the crown. With the EV3 rolling out, Kia sold over 7,000 electric cars through March, nearly 50% more than in Q1 2024.
The EV3 was the best-selling retail EV in the UK in the first quarter and the fourth best-selling EV overall, including commercial vehicles.
Starting at £33,005 ($42,500), Kia said it’s the “brand’s most affordable EV yet.” It’s available with two battery packs, 58.3 kWh or 81.48 kWh, good for 430 km (270 miles) and 599 km (375 miles) of WLTP range, respectively.
With new EVs on the way, this could be just the start. Kia is launching several new EVs in the UK this year, including the EV4 sedan (and hatchback) and EV5 SUV. It also confirmed that the first PV5 electric vans will be delivered to customers by the end of the year.
Electrek’s Take
Globally, Kia sold a record 772,351 vehicles in the first quarter, its best since it started selling cars in 1962. With the new EV4, the brand’s first electric sedan and hatchback, launching this year, Kia looks to build on its momentum in 2025.
Kia has also made it very clear that it wants to be a global leader in the electric van market with its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business, starting with the PV5 later this year.
Earlier today, we learned Kia’s midsize electric SUV, the EV5, is the fourth best-selling EV in Australia through March, outselling every BYD vehicle (at least for now). The EV5 is rolling out to new markets this year, including Canada, the UK, South Korea, and Mexico. However, it will not arrive in the US.
For those in the US, there are still a few Kia EVs to look forward to. Kia is launching the EV4 globally, including in the US, later this year. Although no date has been set, Kia confirmed the EV3 is also coming. It’s expected to arrive in mid-2026.
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Environment
Podcast: Tesla’s disastrous deliveries, more Trump tariffs, EV delivery numbers, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s disastrous deliveries, more Trump tariffs, EV delivery numbers, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
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After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Charging your EV in freezing weather could soon become dramatically faster, thanks to a big breakthrough from the University of Michigan engineers.
Neil Dasgupta, U-M associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering and corresponding author of a study published in Joule, and his team have developed an innovative battery structure and coating that can boost lithium-ion EV battery charging speeds by a whopping 500%, even at frigid temperatures as low as 14F (-10C). “Charging an EV battery takes 30 to 40 minutes even for aggressive fast charging, and that time increases to over an hour in the winter,” Dasgupta explained. “This is the pain point we want to address.”
Freezing weather has traditionally been harsh on EV batteries because it slows down the movement of lithium ions, resulting in slower charging speeds and reduced battery life. Automakers have tried thickening battery electrodes to extend driving range, but this makes some of the lithium hard to access, making charging even slower.
Previously, Dasgupta’s group sped up battery charging using lasers to carve pathways around 40 microns in size into the graphite anode. This allowed lithium ions to reach deeper into the battery more quickly. However, cold-weather performance still lagged because a chemical layer formed on the electrodes, blocking the ions. Dasgupta compares this barrier to “trying to cut cold butter,” making charging inefficient.
To solve this, the team coated the battery with a thin, glassy material made of lithium borate-carbonate—only 20 nanometers thick—which prevented the problematic chemical layer from forming. Combined with the microscopic channels, the results were groundbreaking: the modified batteries retained 97% of their capacity even after 100 fast-charging cycles in freezing temperatures.
“We envision this approach as something that EV battery manufacturers could adopt without major changes to existing factories,” Dasgupta noted. “For the first time, we’ve shown a pathway to simultaneously achieve extreme fast charging at low temperatures, without sacrificing the energy density of the lithium-ion battery.”
This innovation could tackle one of the biggest concerns holding potential EV buyers back.
The new battery tech is moving closer to commercialization, supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Advanced Transportation Innovation Hub. The research devices were built at U-M’s Battery Lab and studied with help from the Michigan Center for Materials Characterization.
U-M Innovation Partnerships assisted the team in applying for patents, and Arbor Battery Innovations has licensed the technology for market deployment. Dasgupta and the University of Michigan hold financial stakes in Arbor Battery Innovations.
Read more: California now has nearly 50% more EV chargers than gas nozzles
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