Eviation Aircraft’s all-electric twin-engine aircraft, designed for regional transportation over very modest distances, successfully completed its first flight in the United States. Passenger small model Alice was in the air for eight minutes.
Image Source: Eviation
According to the head of Eviation Aircraft Gregory Davis (Gregory Davis), the flight of Alice entered the history of the development of aviation – this is the first electric aircraft for short-haul airlines. Although electric “air taxis” have already been repeatedly tested in the air, Eviation singles out its development in a separate category, since while it is only capable of carrying up to 9 people, competitors have not yet achieved such indicators. In addition, this is one of the few aircraft of a new type with a classic fuselage shape.
The test flight took place in the normal mode. Last week, a high-speed ground test was already conducted to verify the reliability of the systems. The 17-meter Alice has not only two electric motors, but also batteries with a total weight of 8 thousand pounds – more than 3.6 tons. During the flight, the aircraft reached a speed of about 275 km / h.
Although the aircraft completed the flight quite successfully, the developers face a number of serious challenges, the main of which is the weight of the batteries, which must be reduced by increasing the energy intensity of the batteries. While the company is waiting for the industry to be able to solve this problem – as a result, they want to bring the flight time to 1-2 hours, and the distance to 270 and even 460 km.
Image Source: Eviation
Batteries are important, but not the only problem. More tests need to be done, regulators need to be certified, and finally, the price of the jets needs to be brought down to a level where airlines want to buy planes. Deliveries are expected to start in 2027.
The flight of the Alice electric jet is indeed an important milestone, but at first, commercial flights on such aircraft are likely to be limited to the “elite” segment, which will carry a small number of passengers over short distances. More roomy electric air transport unlikely to appear in the foreseeable future.
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