hen the all-electric Solar Impulse 2 touched down in Abu Dhabi last summer after an around-the-world voyage, it trumpeted a future of fossil fuel-free flight. Now, André Borschberg, the Swiss entrepreneur and pilot who launched the mission, has returned to the stage, ready to realize that vision. Last week, he announced the launch of his new company, called H55, and revealed its first aircraft, the Aero1.

Compared to the Solar Impulse 2, which matched the wingspan of a 747 and could stay aloft for days on end, this new plane feels like a letdown. It's not a new design, but a retrofit of a one-seat aerobatic flyer. It doesn't have any solar panels, just batteries in its fuselage and wings. It doesn't promise to transform mobility, like the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) "flying cars" Uber wants to deploy.

But Borschberg didn't design the Aero1 to elicit oohs and ahs. He made it to show that when it comes to developing practical, usable electric aircraft, you go with what's most realistic.