Certified to Fly: A Battery Breakthrough for Electric Aviation

H55 clears major regulatory tests, bringing electric aircraft closer to commercial certification

13 Feb 2026

In aviation, progress is measured not in promises but in paperwork. H55, a Swiss firm developing electric propulsion systems, has completed a full regulatory test campaign for its aircraft battery system. The exercise does not amount to final certification. Yet in a field long heavy on prototypes and light on approval, it marks a notable shift.

The campaign, overseen by European regulators, was designed to be punishing. Engineers exposed the battery to violent vibration, sharp temperature swings and simulated failures meant to mirror the worst moments of flight. Crucially, these were not laboratory showpieces. The modules were built using production-level processes, the same methods intended for large-scale manufacturing. Regulators care less about a flawless prototype than about whether factories can reliably reproduce it.

That distinction goes to the heart of electric aviation’s problem. Technology has advanced quickly; rules and confidence have lagged behind. For developers in advanced air mobility and regional aircraft, regulatory uncertainty has been as daunting as engineering constraints. Each clarified pathway through certification reduces programme risk. In a capital-hungry sector, credibility with regulators can matter as much as chemistry.

The timing is convenient. Governments are tightening climate targets, while firms such as BETA Technologies are attempting to turn experimental aircraft into commercial fleets. At the centre of this effort sits the battery. Without certified and dependable energy storage, longer-range electric flight remains an ambition rather than a business.

Physics, however, is stubborn. Even the best batteries store far less energy per kilogram than jet fuel, limiting both range and payload. Scaling output while maintaining aviation-grade reliability will strain supply chains. Meanwhile regulators in America are still refining standards for electric propulsion, adding complexity for firms hoping to sell on both sides of the Atlantic.

Still, the tone of the industry is changing. Certification milestones are becoming concrete achievements rather than distant aspirations. Electric aviation is maturing, slowly exchanging spectacle for procedure. The question is no longer simply whether electric aircraft can fly. It is which companies can navigate the regulatory runway first and do so at scale.