Prototype electric airplane takes first flight
Sep 27, 2022, 11:49 AM
Eviation's "Alice", the world's first all-electric commuter airplane, takes off for its first flight at 7:10 am on September 27, 2022 in Moses Lake, Washington. Piloted by Eviation's Chief Test Pilot Steve Crane, the flight lasted 8 minutes taking the aircraft to an altitude of 3500 ft. (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
A prototype, all-electric airplane took its first flight Tuesday morning in central Washington state.
The Seattle Times reports that if the Federal Aviation Administration eventually certifies the small airplane to carry passengers, it could become the first all-electric commercial airplane.
The plane, built by startup Eviation, was built to carry nine passengers and up two pilots and took off from Moses Lake, Washington, at 7:10 a.m. Tuesday. The plane landed eight minutes later.
The company’s goal is to show such electric planes are viable as commuter aircraft flying at an altitude of about 15,000 feet (4,572 meters).
The plane, designed by engineers in Washington state and Israel, is powered by 21,500 small Tesla-style battery cells.
