An all-electric airplane called the Alice took off on its first flight Tuesday morning in the State of Washington.
By United with Israel Staff
A revolutionary aircraft called the Alice took one giant leap for aviation this week, soaring in the skies near Moses Lake in central Washington State.
The Alice was developed by an Israeli-American company called Eviation, which is working to sell the aircraft as a commuter plane.
The Seattle Times described the Alice as a “sleek all-electric prototype … buzzing like a hornet at the end of the runway.”
The plane is designed to carry nine passengers and a crew of up to two pilots.
Once the prototype is fine-tuned, the Alice will be “an electric commercial commuter aircraft flying a few hundred miles between cities at an altitude of around 15,000 feet.”
Over 21,000 small “Tesla-style battery cells” fuel the plane, weighing about 8,000 pounds. The plane’s airframe is constructed of carbon composite.
Today, our all-electric Alice aircraft electrified the skies and embarked on an unforgettable world’s first flight. See Alice make history in the video clip below. We’re honored to celebrate this groundbreaking leap towards a more #sustainable future.#electricaviation pic.twitter.com/Q9dFoTPyiB
— Eviation Aircraft (@EviationAero) September 27, 2022
“It’s beautiful,” Eviation test pilot Steve Crane told the Times. “The team did a great job, built a great airplane. It’s a fast airplane, very responsive. I couldn’t be happier.”
Crane noted that he couldn’t hear the engines in the cockpit.
“I hear all the other things. Hydraulic pumps. I hear the propellers. But I can’t hear the engines. They’re silent,” said Crane.
Eviation CEO Greg Davis added that the Alice prototype requires improvements in battery technology to become “commercially viable.”