Check out a ₦2.8 billion electric plane, all-electric passenger aircraft in the world
some months back, Alice, an electric plane developed by Israel’s Eviation, went through engine tests at the Arlington Municipal Airport near Seattle. According to Bar-Yohay, the company’s CEO, Alice is expected to take off before the end of the month and is capable of flying for about an hour. Its lithium-ion battery can provide it with a range of up to 440 nautical miles.
For instance, a Boeing 737 Max can cruise at speeds of up to 588 miles per hour. The company is focused on developing electric aircraft that can carry up to 40 passengers. In 2019, a prototype of this plane made its debut in testing. It will next attempt to perform a high-speed taxi test.
Alice’s runway is equipped with a variety of speeds that allow ground teams to monitor its systems, such as the hydraulics and steering. Although the company originally planned on having the aircraft take flight before 2022, the project was delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions in the Pacific Ocean. In 2019, Aviation has three different variants of the prototype, with each of them carrying nine passengers and two pilots.
The company’s executive design features six passenger seats and a cargo plane that can hold 450 cubic feet of space. Its ability to reduce the operating costs of commercial aeroplanes by 70% is also possible through its use of electric technology. Due to the increasing number of companies and startups developing electric aircraft, NASA gave a $253 million grant to GE Aviation and magniX in September 2021.
In addition, Boeing is investing in a company called Wisk Aero, which is developing an all-electric passenger plane. Airbus has also been working on developing electric aircraft since 2010. Despite the various advantages of electric aircraft, experts believe that the biggest challenge that the industry faces is the lack of batteries.
