The Sustainability Awards honour those people, teams and organisations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice or overall mission.
Beam Global set the world record for the longest flight in a production electric aircraft powered by off-grid, renewable solar energy, proving zero emissions aviation is here.
Starting in Fresno, the Pipistrel Alpha Electro aircraft flew across Central California with stops in Madera, Merced, Modesto and Lodi before following the same flight path back to Fresno. Beam Global partnered with Pilot Joseph Oldham, Founder and CEO of New Vision Aviation, to make the trip possible. EV ARC electric vehicle charging equipment was rapidly deployed at several airports, and in some cases relocated during the record breaking effort, to support the multi-leg flight, demonstrating that airports can support the electrification of aviation without construction, electrical work or large utility charges.
“This historic world record marked the start of a new chapter for zero emissions aviation while breaking down the barriers to rapid adoption of commercially available clean aircraft” said Beam Global CEO Desmond Wheatley. “Our products make airport charging infrastructure available now, ushering in a new level of aviation access for rural and suburban denizens. There are around twenty thousand public and private airports across the US and we want to make clean, impact free charging infrastructure available to all of them.”
Non-profit New Vision Aviation sees California’s Central Valley as an emerging innovation hub for the electrification of aviation and oversees educational programs for disadvantaged youth to inspire and train them for careers in clean aviation.
Currently, 61 percent of electricity from the grid in the US is sourced from fossil fuels and 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the transportation sector according to a US EPA report on Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. As the momentum behind the electrification of transportation continues to grow globally, this world record highlights the coming renewable revolution of air travel ushering in a new era of clean transportation.
“We are proud to reward and recognise Beam Global for their sustainability efforts” added Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer, Business Intelligence Group. “It was clear to our judges that their vision and strategy will continue to deliver results toward a cleaner, more sustainable world. Congratulations!”
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