The first all-electric passenger airplane, Alice, went through the final engine tests at Arlington Municipal Airport to prepare it for its maiden flight.
The plane developed by an Israeli company called Eviation will fly in a few weeks, according to the company’s CEO Omer Bar-Yohay. The company specializes in electric air travel and plans to build electric planes that fit 20-40 passengers in seven to ten years.
Bar-Yohay says that electric planes like Alice will become common like other means of transport. He added that the move “integrates aviation into commuter life while being sustainable and economically viable.”
The battery technology in Alice is similar to that of a cell phone or electric car and a 30-minute charging. The nine-passenger plane can fly an hour, covering about 818 kilometres. The maximum cruise speed is 460 km per hour or 250 knots. That is almost 50% of a Boeing 737 max cruising speed of 946 km/hour.
Alice’s Technical Journey
A model of Alice made a debut in 2019 and has been undergoing low-speed taxi speeds.
The next few weeks are set for a high-speed taxi test. During the fast-speed tests, Alice will taxi down a runway at varying speeds. The aim is to test power and enable ground teams in monitoring the performance of steering, anti-skid, braking and other systems.
Eviation planned a flight before 2022 but postponed because bad weather conditions around the Pacific Northwest at the end of 2021 hindered testing.
Different Plane Prototype Versions
Eviation has three versions of Alice’s prototype.
• Commuter configuration, which is in the last stages of testing, can carry nine passengers, two pilots, and 385 kilograms of luggage.
• An executive design of six-passenger seats to allow a roomy luxury flight
• A cargo plane with a volume of 12 cubic meters
The design for prototypes, according to Eviation, reduces the operating and maintenance cost of current commercial aircraft by up to 70%.
Future Plans by Eviation
Eviation will continue building more Alices as twelve are already ordered by DHL, the international shipping company. The delivery is set for 2024. DHL has a global fleet of over 280 aircraft and plans to use electric planes as cargo carriers for short trips.
DHL Express America CEO Mike Parra announced they aspire to “make a significant contribution in reducing carbon footprint.” Paara added that these advancements in technology and fleet would achieve further carbon reductions.
Eviation confirmed orders by DHL and Cape Air. It also promised to announce more buyers after the first flight by Alice. Cape Air’s expects to enter its fleet of Alices on connecting routes in 2023.