Eviation Aircraft, an Israeli-American manufacturer of all-electric aircraft, is preparing for the first test flights of Alice, its all-electric 11-seat aircraft, later this year.
The 17.1-meter-long, 3.84-meter-high aircraft has a wingspan of 18.0 meters. It is powered by three variable-pitch pusher propellers, two of which are mounted on the wingtips, located in the vortices to improve efficiency, and a third mounted in the tail. The latter is designed to accelerate fast-moving air around the fuselage and turn the whole body into a bonus wing surface for extra lift.
The company says it has just taken delivery of the first Alice EPU (Electric Propulsion Units) from magniX, one of three 280 kW (380 hp) Magnix EPUs the Alice will use to power its three variable-pitch pusher propellers.
Alice is equipped with an 820 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which allows a range of 815 km (506 miles) on a single charge. The battery pack itself weighs 3,720 kg, which accounts for more than half of the aircraft’s takeoff weight (6,668 kg). The electric aircraft designed to carry nine passengers and two crew at the cursing speeds of 407 km/h (253 mph). Besides, it has a maximum cruising altitude of 9,800 meters, and a runway of 793 meters is sufficient for takeoff.
Eviation Alice will be built with existing technology, including a composite airframe, propulsion from three Siemens electric engines, and Honeywell flight control systems, including automatic landing.
There is no information on the price or the start of sales – the company will soon begin Alice’s test flights and certification program – but it has already been revealed that Europe will be Alice’s primary market alongside the U.S.
