Flying on batteries: is this the future of aviation?

The aircraft industry is trying to make the energy transition and to move from the power of fossile fuel to electricity. This all-electric aircraft offers proof that flying on battery power is feasible.

This Eviation’s Alice Commuter plane won the transportation category of Fast Company’s 2018 World Changing Ideas Awards. The plane seats nine people and is entirely battery powered.

The plane is a product of Israel-based startup Eviation, which is building a new all-electric, nine-seat airplane, called the Alice Commuter. The company expects its plane to begin making its first commercial flights in 2021.

The plane is built of lightweight materials and uses energy-dense batteries. FastCompany reports that Eviation chose to go all-electric for its first plane because it thinks that’s what will make flights as affordable as possible. The outlook for the plane is positive: electricity is cheaper than jet fuel and electric planes cost less to maintain. For the time being, the plane can only travel relatively short distances–650 nautical miles

Photo by Eviation

Further reading on fastcompany.com