Israeli aviation startup Eviation rolled out the the first-ever passenger plane that runs on electricity alone at last week's Paris Air Show. The advanced aircraft – Alice – is capable of flying up to 650 miles (1,050 km) at the 276 mph (445 kmp), presenting a greener approach to aviation. Not only is the craft cheaper to produce, it reportedly produces zero emissions.
The aircraft is around 50% cheaper to produce than airplanes of traditional size, as well as quieter. The plane is able to transport two pilots and up to nine passengers. As for the tech specs, the plane is made up of lightweight materials and have a low drag coefficient that allows the craft to simultaneously operate at top speeds while using less fuel. Alice features three MagniX engines at the end of each wing, as well as a main engine at the rear to propel it to higher speeds. The cabin has ample space and includes an area to charge mobile phones and rotating seats.
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Measuring 12 meters long (39 feet), with its wings at 16 meters (53 feet) long, its total weight is around 6.4 tons (5,800 kg) and the craft holds a 900-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery. Around 1.25 tons (1,100 kg) of the plane's total weight is devoted to the passengers, pilots, and baggage.
Although incapable of long-haul international flights, Alice can fly shorter distances, such as from Israel to Cyprus or from Paris to Toulouse. Eviation expects its main customers to be American aviation companies, which can service short-haul lines within the continental US like the New York-Boston route.
At the Paris Air Show, Eviation CEO Omer Bar-Yohai noted that fuel costs for Alice would be significantly lower and flight costs would amount to some $200, half that of a traditional passenger aircraft. Most of the savings comes due to reduced fuel costs.
Alice is expected to undergo test flights in the US in the following months and be approved by the US Aviation Administration by 2022. Production for Alice will take place in Prescott, Arizona.
Eviation is also planning to present an unmanned cargo aircraft, the Orca. Currently, the company has taken several orders for its new aircraft, which carry a price tag of around $4 million each.
Eviation is run by Chairman Aviv Tzidon and CEO Omer Bar-Yohai and based in the Kadima-Zoran Industrial zone. The startup has so far raised $200 million.
