In order to provide extra lift, and allow take-offs and landings from short runways, it would also have a triple level wing. This would give it a passing resemblance to a World War One fighter, despite having state-of-the-art aerodynamics.
The company's chief executive, Neil Cloughley, argues that such a plane would have far fewer moving parts than a conventional propeller aircraft, making it cheaper to run. It would also be much quieter, and produce fewer emissions.
"Why do we not use airplanes like we would a bus?" he asks.
"The reason is cost of operation, primarily. Also, if you start using lots of airplanes it creates a lot of noise, and of course we have now got into an age where sustainability really is a key part of our future.
However, in testing, the plane will run as a hybrid. Initially, just one of the four engines will be replaced by an electric motor, with others following if the tests are successful.
According to Wright Electric's chief executive, Jeffrey Engler, potential customers think this is a good approach and one they could also follow when the aircraft enters production.
"When we spoke to the airlines, they said, "Well, why don't you go hybrid initially, instead of full electric from the start?" he explains.
"Just like the car industry started with hybrids as well. So that's something we're looking into."
The main reason electrifying aircraft is so difficult is that even the best batteries contain far less energy per kilogram than traditional aviation fuels, making them much too heavy to power an airliner over long distances.
The Farad air design, he says, would allow short hops between cities such as London and Manchester for £25 each way - less than the cost of a rail ticket.
In more remote or inaccessible regions, meanwhile, such planes could provide a transport lifeline from small airstrips, avoiding the need for major investments in road or rail lines.
It plans to have the aircraft flying by 2025 with commercial use starting in 2027.
Farad air is far from alone in seeing the potential of electric aviation, at a time when governments around the world are searching for ways to reduce carbon emissions. Nor is its project the most ambitious.
California - based start-up Wright Electric, for example, plans to bring a fully-electric 100-seat aircraft into service by the middle of the decade. It would be based on the existing Bae146, with its four turbofan engines replaced by electric motors.
The company, which has a partnership with Easy jet, says the aircraft would be used to carry out one-hour flights, allowing it to serve routes such as London-Paris, New York-Washington or Hong Kong-Taipei.
So we decided we would come up with an aircraft that would not only be economic to use, and therefore cost-effective, but would also be quiet and sustainable."
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