Eviation Aircraft's twin-engine electric aircraft successfully completed its first flight in the United States. This aircraft is designed for regional transportation over short distances, for example, the Alice small-seat passenger model was in the air for only eight minutes. The test flight took place in the normal mode.

According to the head of Eviation Aircraft, Gregory Davis, this flight has entered the history of aviation development, as it is the first electric aircraft for short-haul airlines, although electric aircraft or so-called "air taxis" have already been repeatedly tested in the air. Eviation puts its vehicle in a category of its own because it can carry up to 9 people, something the company's competitors haven't achieved. Also, this aircraft is one of the few new-type aircraft with a classic fuselage shape.

A week ago, a high-speed ground test was conducted to check the reliability of the systems. The 17-meter-long Alice air vehicle has not only two electric motors, but also batteries with a total weight of more than 3.6 tons. During the test flight, the electric aircraft reached a speed of about 275 km/h.

And although the developers are satisfied with the results of the tests, there are a number of fixes, the main of which is to reduce the weight of the batteries and increase their energy intensity. When the industry is able to solve this problem, they want to bring the flight time to 1-2 hours, and the distances - somewhere from 270 to 460 km. In addition to improving the batteries, there are still some tests that need to be done, to get the certification of the regulators and to reduce the prices of the liners to an acceptable level for airlines. The start of deliveries of the new electric aircraft is expected in 2027.

bbabo.Net