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. It took off from Moses Lake, Washington, at 7:10 a.m. Tuesday, and 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.
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Canada First:
Canada First:
Following up on a successful 2019 test flight, the BC-based company Harbour Air, that flies commercially between Vancouver and Victoria, flew a multi-passenger all-electric sea plane from the Mainland to Victoria on August 19th, 2022, a considerably more significant achievement than the first test flight reported for an Eviation prototype on Sept. 28, 2022. Canadian aviation deserves more credit than it routinely gets from mainstream Canadian media.
As Alan Ball has pointed out,
As Alan Ball has pointed out, Harbour Air (serves the southern BC coast) needs to be given the credit it deserves. Sure, their converted De Havilland Beaver is less sexy than the sleek plane illustrated, but Harbour Air is well on the way to using electric planes for their coastal flights that last approximately 30-35 min, downtown to downtown. Can their rugged Single and Twin Otter aircraft be far behind?
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