We’ve hit a new milestone, folks. The world’s first fully electric passenger airplane, the Alice, has made its maiden voyage recently.
On Sept. 27, Eviation Aircraft successfully completed the first flight of its zero-emission aircraft, dubbed Alice. Sure, the flight lasted for only eight minutes, but it’s still a major step for bringing passenger planes into the age of EVs.
The Alice has a maximum operating speed of 260 knots (just under 300 mph), and it’s powered by two 640 kW electric motors. For its first official flight, the electric airplane flew at a maximum altitude of 3,500 feet coming out of Grant County International Airport in Washington state.
According to Eviation CEO Gregory Davis, the company is targeting a maximum range of 200 to 300 nautical miles for the Alice, which would allow this passenger plane to operate flights ranging around 150 to 250 miles. The maximum load would be up to 2,600 pounds, carrying two pilots and up to nine passengers.
This test flight didn’t have any passengers on board, but this baby step can lead the way to larger adoption of EV tech in airplanes soon. In fact, back in 2021 DHL Express had announced that it wants its own small fleet of all-electric planes and would start with an order for 12 Alice eCargo planes.
SOURCE | IMAGE: JALOPNIK.
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