‘Everything will electrify’
The crowd gathered at the Tioga terminal, the northernmost terminal of the Port of Philadelphia, to watch the prototype EL2 land and take off from an open area bordered by rows of graffiti-covered shipping containers.
The watch party was organized in part by Max Tuttleman, a philanthropist and former City Council candidate. He’s the CEO of LAND, a company that aims to provide a range of services to the hybrid-electric fleets and encourage their development.
“Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can be one of the first beneficiaries of this type of technology,” Tuttleman said. “[LAND wants to provide] areas for these aircraft to land and recharge, hangar facilities, the electric infrastructure behind those types of facilities, terminal facilities.”
Max Tuttleman (center) is CEO of LAND, a development company which he says will provide infrastructure for Electra’s short-takeoff planes. He talks with Philadelphia City Council Member Mark Squilla (right) at Tioga Marine after a test flight. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
“When we think about the electrification of multimodal transportation and what is to come, everything will electrify. We need places where those vehicles can be homed and hubbed and recharged, so operators are willing to make the capital investment in those types of electric vehicles,” he said.
In addition to Neilson, elected officials on hand included Philadelphia Democrats state Sen. Christine Tartaglione, state Reps. Jared Solomon and Jordan Harris, and City Councilmembers Mark Squilla and Rue Landau.
“Whether it’s cargo or whether it’s travel or whatever it is, we need to really look at how we as a city are going to address the future of transportation,” Squilla said. “I’m excited to see how this works, and looking forward to working with all the stakeholders to bring this to fruition.”
Four students from the Aviation Institute of Maintenance at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport watched the EL2’s landing and takeoff. They said they were wowed by its floaty maneuvering, short takeoff space and innovative power system.
“It was so different from your conventional airliner,” 20-year-old Mekhi Smith said. “The way it moves is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s, like, slicing through air instead of being in air.”
Editor’s note: Max Tuttleman is a supporter of WHYY’s Billy Penn.