The Eviation Alice is an
electric aircraft
An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity.
Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights.
Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...
designed to accommodate nine passengers and two crew members. Currently under development, its construction incorporates 95%
composite material
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
, is powered by two
electric motor
An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...
s, and has a
T-tail
A T-tail is an empennage configuration in which the tailplane is mounted to the top of the fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs from the standard configuration in which the tailplane is ...
. The prototype first flew on September 27, 2022.
Development
![Eviation Alice, Paris Air Show 2019, Le Bourget (SIAE8856)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Eviation_Alice%2C_Paris_Air_Show_2019%2C_Le_Bourget_%28SIAE8856%29.jpg)
Eviation was founded in 2015 by Omer Bar-Yohay, Omri Regev and Aviv Tzidon. Risk-sharing partnerships have enabled work to go ahead.
[
In February 2018, a scale model ]UAV
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...
was flown to validate the aerodynamics and flight control
A conventional fixed-wing aircraft flight control system consists of flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction in flight. Aircraft e ...
s.[ ]Kokam
''Garcinia indica'', a plant in the mangosteen family (Clusiaceae), commonly known as ''kokum'', is a fruit-bearing tree that has culinary, pharmaceutical, and industrial uses. It primarily grows in the Western Ghats, especially the Goa and Konk ...
was selected to supply pouch lithium polymer batteries
A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electro ...
to power the full-scale prototype.[ Work on the power system and drive train was begun.]
Eviation teamed up with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to launch a research and development program in the spring of 2019 at its Prescott, Arizona campus.[ The program would focus on performance analysis, validation and testing, along with preliminary design and sub-scale testing of future electric propulsion and airframe design concepts.]
By early 2019, Eviation had secured $200 million of investment to cover certification and production while the first prototype was assembled in Vannes
Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History Celtic Era
The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived ...
, northwest France. In April 2019, Eviation selected MagniX
magniX is an electric motor manufacturer for electric aircraft, wholly owned by Singapore investor Clermont Group.
The company is headquartered in Everett, Washington, United States.
History
The company was founded in 2009 in Australia to resea ...
Magni250s 375 shp (280 kW) electric motors turning at 1,900 rpm as an alternative power option to Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
260 kW motors.
At the June 2019 Paris Air Show
The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...
, a full-size static Alice was exhibited.
The first airline customer was announced: Hyannis, Massachusetts
Hyannis is the largest of the seven villages in the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area at the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer t ...
-based Cape Air
Hyannis Air Service Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast (US), Northeast, the Caribbean, Midw ...
. Cape Air ordered 92 aircraft, priced at $4 million each. MagniX investor Clermont Group
The Clermont Group is a Singapore-based conglomerate with interests in many parts of the world, and includes both operational businesses and financial investments. Headed by founder and Chairman, Richard Chandler, Clermont was established in 20 ...
from Singapore took a 70% stake in Eviation Aircraft in August 2019. By October 2019, over 150 Alice aircraft had been ordered by two American companies.[ Further investment of $500 million was still needed to begin serial production.]
On 22 January 2020, a fire broke out and the prototype was destroyed, but no-one was injured. The fire broke out in an under-floor battery compartment located in the "operator/passenger area".
On 18 May 2020, GKN Aerospace
GKN Ltd is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components business headquartered in Redditch, England. It is a long-running business known for many decades as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. It can trace its origins back to 1759 an ...
announced their partnership with Eviation on the design and manufacture of the wing, empennage
The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...
and electrical wiring interconnection system An electrical wiring interconnect system (EWIS) is the wiring system and components (such as bundle clamps, wire splices, etc.) for a complex system. The term originated in the aviation industry but was originally designated as Electrical Intercon ...
of subsequent Alice airframes.
New configuration
By December 2020, Eviation expected to fly a modified Alice design in 2021, with the wing-tip motors relocated, before certification in the second half of 2023.
In July 2021, Eviation unveiled the updated configuration with a T-tail
A T-tail is an empennage configuration in which the tailplane is mounted to the top of the fin. The arrangement looks like the capital letter T, hence the name. The T-tail differs from the standard configuration in which the tailplane is ...
and two 850 hp (634 kW) Magni650 electric powerplants on each side of the aft fuselage, aiming for a first flight the same year.[
It should cruise at 220 kn (407 km/h, down from 240 kn), have 440 nmi range, 100 nmi (185 km) less than previously, be powered by an 820 kWh lithium-ion battery weighing 3,720kg (8,200lb), down from a 920 kWh battery weighing 3,600 kg, would have a 6,350 kg maximum take-off weight, down from 6,668 kg, an altitude ceiling of 32,000 ft and a maximum payload of 1,134 kg.]
Taxi testing of the first production model began in December 2021 at Arlington Municipal Airport, north of Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. In June of 2022, it was announced that the prototype Alice was being moved to Moses Lake
Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in Washington state, USA.
Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River.
Although originally a shallow natural lake, Moses L ...
in Washington State, where first flight was hoped to occur by the summer of 2022.
The aircraft had its first flight on September 27, 2022.
Following the first test flight, Eviation announced it has revised the proposed range from 440 nm to 250 nm. The projected service entry date has been delayed to 2027.
Design
Two variants of the Alice were originally planned.[
The initial, unpressurized model is intended for ]air taxi
An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand.
In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) an ...
operations, with energy stored in a lithium-ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also se ...
. Eviation was working on building a prototype scheduled to fly in early 2019.[ In 2017, a second pressurized model was to be an extended-range ER ]executive aircraft
Business aircraft are aircraft typically used by companies and corporations to transport people or goods related to the needs of said businesses. Most business aircraft are general aviation aircraft variants of piston or turboprop or busin ...
available by 2023 for $2.9 million, with a more powerful aluminum-air battery with a lithium-polymer
A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyt ...
buffer, a cabin pressurized to at FL 280, G5000 avionics, a cruise and range.
In October 2019, Eviation described only the pressurized Alice Commuter with a cruise speed.
With 260 Wh/kg cells, the 900 kWh battery capacity () is initially estimated to give the design a range of at 240 knots and .[ This is anticipated to increase as battery technology improves.][
The batteries have been tested to more than 1,000 cycles, equivalent to 3,000 flight hours, and will then require replacement at a cost of $250,000 - half of the direct ]operating cost
Operating costs or operational costs, are the expenses which are related to the operation of a business, or to the operation of a device, component, piece of equipment or facility. They are the cost of resources used by an organization just to main ...
, similar to a piston engine overhaul
Overhaul may refer to:
*The process of overhauling, see
** Maintenance, repair, and overhaul
**Refueling and overhaul (eg. nuclear-powered ships)
**Time between overhaul
* Overhaul (firefighting), the process of searching for hidden fire extensio ...
.[
Based on U.S. industrial ]electricity prices
Electricity pricing (also referred to as electricity tariffs or the price of electricity) can vary widely by country or by locality within a country. Electricity prices are dependent on many factors, such as the price of power generation, gover ...
, the direct operating cost with nine passengers and two crew, flying at , is claimed to be $200 per hour, which compares to $600–1,000 per hour for existing aircraft of similar purchase price such as the Cessna 402
The Cessna 401 and 402 are a series of 6 to 10 seat, light twin-piston engine aircraft. This line was manufactured by Cessna from 1966 to 1985 under the name Utiliner and Businessliner.Montgomery, MR & Gerald Foster: ''A Field Guide to Airplane ...
s, Pilatus PC-12
The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland, since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in ad ...
and Beechcraft King Air
The Beechcraft King Air is a line of American utility aircraft produced by Beechcraft. The King Air line comprises a number of twin-turboprop models that have been divided into two families. The Model 90 and 100 series developed in the 1960s ...
, for operations on routes under .[
45% of air routes fall within its 565 nmi (1,050 km) range at 260 kn (482 km/h), or 55% of airline flights according to ]Flightglobal
FlightGlobal is an online news and information website which covers the aviation and aerospace industries.
The website was established in February 2006 as the website of ''Flight International'' magazine, ''Airline Business'', ''ACAS'', ''Air ...
's Cirium data.[
The electric drivetrain will have a higher voltage than current electrical systems.][ Two Magni650 electric motors will drive two propellers mounted on the aft fuselage.]
The unpressurized aircraft has a flat lower fuselage. The Italian company Magnaghi Aeronautica Magnaghi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alberto Magnaghi (born 1941)
* Debora Magnaghi (born 1970), Italian voice actress
*Simone Magnaghi (born 1993), Italian footballer
See also
*Magnago
Magnago ( Legnanese: ...
supplies landing gear
Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...
and has already produced the gear for the similarly sized Piaggio P.180 Avanti
The Piaggio P.180 Avanti is an Italian executive transport aircraft with twin turboprop engines mounted in pusher configuration. It seats up to nine people in a Cabin pressurization, pressurized cabin and may be flown by one or two Pilot (aerona ...
.
It will be built with existing technology, including a composite airframe
The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system.
Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...
, propulsion from two Magnix electric engines and Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
flight control system
A conventional Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft flight control system consists of flight control surfaces, the respective cockpit controls, connecting linkages, and the necessary operating mechanisms to control an aircraft's direction ...
s, including automatic landing
In aviation, autoland describes a system that fully automates the landing procedure of an aircraft's flight, with the flight crew supervising the process. Such systems enable airliners to land in weather conditions that would otherwise be dangero ...
.
At 3,700kg (8,200lb), the batteries account for 60% of the aircraft take-off weight. Manufacturing is planned in the US.
The company plans for recharging to be carried out by mobile charging vehicles, similar to aviation fuel trucks. Each hour of flight time is expected to require a charging time of 30 minutes.
The cells are similar to those from auto industry batteries.[
]
Orders
The first buyer for the Alice was Cape Air
Hyannis Air Service Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast (US), Northeast, the Caribbean, Midw ...
, a regional airline serving the Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...
as well as the Caribbean. In August 2021, Deutsche Post
The Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL Group, is a German multinational package delivery and supply chain management company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is one of the world's largest courier companies. T ...
announced that it had ordered 12 aircraft for use by DHL
DHL is an American founded, German logistics company providing courier, package delivery and express mail service, which is a division of the German logistics firm Deutsche Post. The company group delivers over 1.8 billion parcels per year. DHL ...
to transport cargo, with delivery planned from 2024.
In April 2022, Eviation stated that Cape Air ordered 75 planes.
In September 2022, GlobalX Airlines ordered 50 aircraft, with deliveries starting in 2027.
Specifications (intended)
See also
* List of electric aircraft
This is a list of electric aircraft, whose primary flight power is electrical.
! Type !! Country !! Class !! Power Source !! Role !! Date !! Status
! Notes
, -
, ΦNIX , , Czech republic , , Propeller , , Battery , , Two-seat airplane , , ...
* Tecnam P-Volt
* Zunum Aero
References
External links
* {{official website, https://www.eviation.co/alice/
Israeli business aircraft
Electric aircraft
Proposed aircraft of Israel