Swedish electric plane startup Heart Aerospace has moved its headquarters from Gothenburg to Los Angeles, saying it will “enhance product development.”
The company will fire all 75 employees of the company, spokesman, Sweden Christina Zander I told TNW. “Recruitment is underway in the US,” she added.
Heart Aerospace was founded in 2018 It is building a hybrid electric 30-seater passenger aircraft called the ES-30. First Work Prototype The x1 plane will be taken into the sky later this year.
VC Firm Antler partner Tobias Bengtsdahl told TNW that the mental move towards the US should serve as a “wake-up call” for the European technology sector.
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“European overregulation and lack of market desires have actively driven away innovation,” said Stockholm-based Benzdahl. “All of these moves reinforce the narrative that the US is the perfect place to build. That's a problem for Europe.”
Heart has raised about $200 million so far from investors including Bill Gates' groundbreaking energy ventures and the Swedish government. The founder of Anders Forslund said the strategic moves will help the company “focus our resources.”
“Our customers, partners and investors are increasingly based in the US,” Forslund said. “By integrating our operations in Los Angeles, we can accelerate development, strengthen collaboration and improve cardiac aerospace in the future.”
Signs of movement had been built for a while. In May 2024, Hart opened the R&D hub Los Angeles. Last year, the company chose the US to run its first test flight, securing a $4.1 million contract from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Cardiac Aerospace has already secured 250 orders and 191 letters of intention for the ES-30 from US Carrier United Airlines and Mesa Airlines. Hart also received letters of intent from Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Sweden's Brassun Regional Airlines and Icelandic Airlines in a total of 96 aircraft.
While the heart crossed the pond, Xander said the move would not change the “basic partnerships” the company had built across Europe.
“Our Scandinavian investors and suppliers continue to be valued collaborators and continue to engage with them as they advance our technology,” she said. “While the transition to the US is a strategic move to support prototype development, our European relationship remains an important part of the broader ecosystem of cardiac aerospace.”
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