The all-electric commuter airplane known as Alice, developed by US firm Eviation, has taken its first-ever flight. Following successful high-speed taxi tests last week, the plane took off at just before 07:00 Pacific Time from Moses Lake, Washington. The event was live-streamed to invited guests, of which Simple Flying was one.
Having taxied along with its propellors fluttering in the morning sun, Alice, the experimental plane registered N882EV, arrived at the runway. The bizarre-looking aircraft proceeded almost silently, against a backdrop of various 737 MAX and a Conair Dash 8 before making a tight turn to face along the runway.
But something was wrong. After holding for a few minutes at the runway threshold, Alice returned to her parking spot and was met by a team of engineers. Whatever it was couldn’t have been too serious, as moments later, she set off again for the short taxi to the launch point.
Finally, at around 07:10 PT, Alice was back on the runway and ready to go. Having received the all-clear, the aircraft proceeded down the runway at a blistering pace, rotating cleanly off the ground and into the air.
The aircraft passed overhead Moses lake several times before touching back down at 07:18 PT. History was made in the dawn light today, as the world’s first all-electric aircraft proved that nothing is impossible.
What you need to know about Alice
Alice is a nine-seater commuter plane that is set to become the first all-electric passenger airplane to enter commercial service. It is designed for short hops of around 250 NM and is powered by two 850 hp Magni650 electric motors designed by MagniX. All the power for the airplane is stored in a 900 kWh battery.
As battery technology improves, the range of the Alice will improve alongside it. The current batteries are reported to be tested for more than 3,000 flight hours. When they require replacement, the anticipated cost will be $250,000, lower than the cost of replacing or overhauling a piston engine for a similarly sized aircraft.
Charging for the aircraft is anticipated to be carried out by charging carts, functioning at airports much like fueling trucks to today. For each hour of flight time, the aircraft will need to be charged for 30 minutes, enabling reasonable turnaround times at airports. Again, as technology improves, the charging time may well be able to be reduced.
Alice has orders in from Cape Air, a regional airline in the Northeastern United States and also operating in the Caribbean – earlier this year, this order was firmed up for a total of 75 planes. In 2021, Deutche Post announced it had ordered 12 of the type to be used for cargo transportation, and just last month, GlobalX Airlines ordered 50 aircraft, with deliveries beginning in 2027.
The new type will have a long road ahead to achieve certification, but this is a milestone moment for the planemaker. However, much of the heavy lifting has been done, such as FAA certification for the MagniX powerplants.
Would you like a ride with Alice? Let us know in the comments.