We Fly: Bristell B23 Energic

Innovative electric airplane cruises with wired wings.

Max Trescott

Monday, September 15, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A ramp view of the Bristell B23 Energic. [Courtesy: Christopher Michel]

Key Takeaways:

The author recounts their first flight in the Bristell B23 Energic, an electric trainer developed by BRM Aero and electric propulsion leader H55, highlighting significant advancements in electric aviation since 2011.
The B23 Energic offers approximately 60 minutes of flight endurance, but faces regulatory differences in energy reserve requirements between EASA and the FAA, which will impact its initial market entry into the U.S. until larger battery capacities are developed.
Electric aircraft like the B23 Energic boast dramatically lower operating costs ($8-9/hour) and consistent power output at high density altitudes, providing a flying experience so seamless the author "totally forgot" it was electric.

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In 2011, I glimpsed the future, when I first saw an electric airplane fly at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Fourteen years later, I’ve finally flown an electric airplane for the first time. It’s the Bristell B23 Energic, which is now touring in the U.S. giving demonstration flights.

The airplane that flew at AirVenture was a twin-engine, experimental Lazair ultralight designed by Dale Kramer. Kramer removed the two gas engines and replaced them with electric motors. He opened the wings to show me that he had loaded them with perhaps a hundred or more lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries that were connected together to power the two electric motors.