The world's largest all-electric plane makes its first flight
Nine-seat plane flew over lake in Washington without producing carbon emissions
Image: MagniX/Disclosure
The largest all-electric aircraft in the world made its first flight this Thursday (28). The Cessna Caravan, equipped with an electric motor, flew over Moses Lake in Washington state.
The plane can carry nine passengers, but a test pilot made the maiden flight alone, sailing at a speed of about 180 km/h. Engine maker magniX, responsible for the plane's electric motor, expects the model to enter commercial service by the end of 2021, with a flight range of 160 kilometers.
Before the new coronavirus pandemic, aviation was one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions, with growing numbers and strong influence on climate emergencies. This has prompted many companies to turn their research to electric planes, although major innovations are needed in reducing the weight of batteries before large planes can fly significant distances on electric power alone. There are other energy sources being tested, such as hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels.
The aviation industry is heavily regulated to ensure safety, but magniX hopes that by upgrading an existing aircraft, the certification process can be speeded up. A smaller seaplane powered by an engine of the brand completed a short flight in December.
In June 2019, another company, Ampaire, piloted an aircraft powered by a hybrid fossil fuel and electric engine over California. Analysts at UBS investment bank said at the time that the aviation industry would switch to hybrid and electric engines for routes of less than 1,000 miles much faster than previously thought.
Roei Ganzarski, CEO of magniX, said current planes are expensive to operate and very polluting. "Electric planes will cost 40 to 70% lower to operate per flight hour", he calculates. "This means operators will be able to fly more planes at smaller airports, with a shorter experience and no harmful CO2 emissions."
According to Ganzarski, the company believes that all flights less than 1,000 miles will be completely electric within 15 years. But he warns: “The energy density [of the battery] is still not at the sweet spot. While it's good for ultra short flights of up to 100 miles in a retrofit and over 500 miles in a new model, there's a lot of untapped potential in electric batteries. Now that the first all-electric commercial aircraft has flown, battery companies are starting to work on better turnkey battery solutions for the aviation industry.”
Other companies developing electric aircraft include Zunum Aero, which is building a 27-seat plane with a range of 980 miles, and engine maker Rolls-Royce, whose Accel program aims to produce the fastest all-electric plane to date. However, in April, Rolls-Royce and Airbus canceled their plans for a hybrid electric aircraft. German company Lilium is working on a jet-powered five-seater electric air taxi.
The Cessna Caravan used by magniX to test the electric motor is one of the most widely used mid-range planes in the world, with more than 2,600 planes in operation in 100 countries.
