Jurjen de Jong is an absolute charging pioneer - he founded the GreenFlux EV charging company in 2008 - this is 12 years before the Model Y, and 3 years before even the Nissan Leaf. As such, the decisions they made led to standards that are still in place - the Type 2 AC charging connector for instance. And there was no integration standard, so they had to develop OCPP, now the global standard. While OCPP started in EU, it was picked up by California early and eventually the USA, Canada, even China.

It was super eye opening for me to talk to someone who was there. We talk through the differences and the similarities between aviation and automotive charging, and even talk standards, debating CSS and GEACS, and which missions each is best suited for.

For more:

• https://nrg2fly.com/
• https://efc.aero/

When I talked to Ben Stabler at Heart Aerospace, it finally clicked for me why they scrapped the all electric ES-19 design for the "independent hybrid" ES-30 - its all about IFR reserves and regional airliner economics - and it turns out those turboprops might not be used much... but they're a mass savings, not dead weight. How?

Matthijs Collard is the co-founder and responsible manager for E-Flight Academy - a modern pilot training company in Teuge Netherlands. They fly 90% of the hours towards a Private Pilots License in electric aircraft, the Pipistrel Velis Electro. They hold several records on SkyZero.io - including most flight hours for a single electric aircraft (beating Joby and BETA), and also for the most electric aircraft movements at any single airport, EHTE.

We interview him about what it was like building a flight curriculum around electric aircraft, the solar mini-grid they installed, and how they got started.

Corrections from this interview!

I state incorrectly that:

1) the H55 Bristell Energic is certified in EU and with the FAA. It is not, yet, these certifications are expected in 2026 and 2027 respectively.

2) the Velis Electro is "certified" - there is an FAA exemption for all operators of the Velis Electro under the Light Sport Aircraft category for training, it is not yet type certified in the USA. It is type certified in Canada.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2024/march/07/faa-grants-exemption-for-velis-electro

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/futureflight/2025-11-16/transport-canada-certifies-three-pipistrel-light-aircraft