E9X's electric passenger-plane plan puts batteries in the wings
Euronews visits Elysian's workshop and flies in a small electric aircraft, making a distinction some viewers say the title obscures.
euronews
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 45,676 views a day, 29 times a normal first day on this channel (1,570).
E9X: The battery-powered plane with 90 passengers on board and a range of 1,000 kilometres
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:26The E9X appears as a flying sub-scale demonstrator, not a full-size passenger aircraft.
- 1:13Elysian's workshop models show a broad-winged passenger-plane design with folding wingtips.
- 2:24Battery weight is a central design challenge, with packs integrated into the wings.
- 4:48Merlijn van Vliet flies the reporter in a Pipistrel Velis Electro from Teuge airport.
- 6:37Jurjen de Jong describes plans for unified European charging infrastructure using on-site solar power.
The small electric aircraft carrying reporter Hans von der Brelie is already flying. The passenger plane at the heart of his Euronews report is still a development project, shown through scale models and a sub-scale demonstrator.
That distinction matters. Elysian Aircraft's E9X is designed to carry 90 passengers over distances of up to a thousand kilometers on battery power. Those are ambitions for the aircraft, not the capabilities of a full-size passenger plane shown in service.
Inside the Dutch company's workshop, co-founder Daniel Rosen Jacobson shows how the design tackles its central problem: weight. Batteries are integrated into the wings, with engineer Joaquin Exalto explaining how custom wing shapes accommodate them while managing aerodynamics. Folding wingtips are another feature of the unusually broad design.
The report then moves from models to an actual flight. At Teuge airport, E-Flight Academy co-founder Merlijn van Vliet takes von der Brelie over Deventer in a Pipistrel Velis Electro. Later, NRG2fly co-founder Jurjen de Jong describes his ambition for European aircraft charging infrastructure supplied by on-site solar power.
The upload drew roughly 36,000 views in its first 15 hours, far above Euronews' usual start for a regular video. In the comments, viewers question whether the title makes the larger aircraft sound operational already; others ask whether hybrid propulsion would make more sense. The report itself offers two different stages of electric aviation: light-aircraft flying today, and a much larger battery-powered design still being developed.
Published on Trari
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What viewers say
The thumbnail and the title made it seem like this was happening now not in the future
@cm1701aSee it on YouTubewhat about hybrid one?
@ang20008See it on YouTubeMaybe an EREV might make better sense for longer flights.
@showersB4bedSee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Channel
- euronews
- Subscribers
- 2,590,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 7,579,072
- Channel views, pace per day
- 729,594 (on a normal day: 818,139)
- Video published
- October 23, 2026
- Video views so far
- 36,361 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 45,676
The numbers
The electric-aircraft report is drawing views much faster than a typical Euronews regular upload. Its first full day is not yet complete.
💡 Test your knowledge
In which country does Euronews visit Elysian Aircraft's workshop?
The report visits the Dutch company's facility near Schiphol.