Eviation fully electric aircraft Alice completed its maiden flight just yesterday around Moses Lake Airport, in Washington State, USA. It took eight years from the first time Co-founder Omer Bar-Yohay envisioned this project to get to this point.
Alice is not the first fully electric aircraft to complete a flight in North America. Previously, a DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane did the same, however, that was a modified plane, not a purposefully built fully electric aircraft.
Eviation Alice aircraft can carry up to nine passengers or a payload of up to 2,500 lbs. (1,134 kg). It is powered by lithium-ion batteries and the electric motors are produced by another startup from the same area, magniX.
It will have a range of up to 440 nautical miles (815 kilometers). In the original project Alice was meant to have a slightly longer range, but considering that 30% of the current flights are just above half of Eviation Alice’s range, this plane could still become a very practical option for many airlines.
Today, our all-electric Alice aircraft electrified the skies and embarked on an unforgettable world’s first flight. See Alice make history in the video clip below. We’re honored to celebrate this groundbreaking leap towards a more #sustainable future.#electricaviation pic.twitter.com/Q9dFoTPyiB
— Eviation Aircraft (@EviationAero) September 27, 2022
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This actually opens quite a tricky question: when Alice will be delivered? According to the American Israeli company, there will be at least three more years of development ahead.
After production begins, it will take another two years at least to complete FAA flight certifications. So this means that airlines could start flying Alice in 2027.
Eviation Alice has already several potential customers. DHL already committed to ordering at least 12 aircraft. Cape Air, a regional airline with service from the US east coast to the Caribbean is planning a large order.
Considering Eviation’s competitors there is definitely space in the market for a more sustainable alternative when it comes to short and medium-haul flights. This sector needs to reduce its emissions and not just the CO2 ones. As you can see in the video below Eviation Alice noise is very different from similar size planes.
Take-off 7:10 a.m.
Alice is flying pic.twitter.com/V7sIpPGfpB— Dominic Gates (@dominicgates) September 27, 2022
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com –In the Featured Photo: Eviation Alice taking off. Photo credit: Eviation.
