Electric plane Alice: a new chapter in the history of aviation or an expensive toy?

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The demonstration flight of an electric aircraft from Eviation Aircraft, which took place on September 28, lasted eight minutes. Will this event affect the development of aviation?

History of the Alice project


Alice is the name of the new miracle equipment, equipped with two electric motors with a capacity of 850 liters. With. It is positioned as a small passenger aircraft for short flights. The Alice cabin accommodates 9 passengers. In 2027, the designers plan to start mass production of such equipment: they already have orders.



The aircraft was first presented to the public by Israeli aviation startup Eviation in 2019 as part of an air show in Paris. Even then, it was stated that the new development, other things being equal, is half the price of its counterparts, "eating" liquid hydrocarbon fuels. And the potential harm to the ecology of the planet from Alice is even lower.

Three years ago, its creators announced a flight range of up to 1050 km and a maximum speed of 445 km/h. Today, the electric plane has developed only 225 kilometers per hour.


Does Alice have a future?


Without a doubt, this is the world's first electric aircraft for short-haul airlines. However, the authors of the project have yet to deal with a number of technical difficulties. Firstly, there is not enough battery capacity for an acceptable flight range, and modern industry cannot solve this problem. Secondly, we need to conduct some more tests and reduce the weight of the batteries, as well as get the approval of the airlines for the use of the aircraft in passenger traffic, while not overestimating the price of new items.

Unfortunately, such an aircraft consists of compromises. So far, it will not be able to accommodate more people, and the cost of its production at the moment does not allow it to displace analogues on traditional fuel. The flight range also leaves much to be desired. But, perhaps, rich respectable people will be interested in him.

The first flight of an electric aircraft took place in Washington state at an altitude of 1 kilometer and lasted 8 minutes.
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  1. Sergey Latyshev
    Sergey Latyshev
    0
    29 September 2022 09: 03
    And about 5 years ago, the media were boasting with might and main about new super-batteries. just about, just about,
    Including Russian developments.
    Plus, everyone also boasted about the development of an electric aviator.

    So the matter is settled.
  2. Scharnhorst
    Scharnhorst
    +1
    29 September 2022 19: 08
    Behind this so-called toy one can hear the inexorable heavy tread of Progress! The Russian Federation urgently needs to buy a patent or buy a couple of copies for copy-paste in the Chinese style. And then we are suffering with the replacement of the "corn plant" for a year ... Large airports are now closed in the south of the Russian Federation, but such airplanes on regional lines could still fly now in the conditions of the NWO.
    1. Vladimir Tuzakov
      Vladimir Tuzakov
      0
      30 September 2022 21: 50
      An electric plane sounds beautiful, in reality, the main comparison is the amount of energy in a kilogram of gasoline-kerosene and in a kilogram of the best batteries, the amount of energy varies by an order of magnitude., That's the whole answer. A plane for long distances (a car is enough for short distances), for an electric plane there are enough batteries for a dozen minutes of flight, enough for show, obviously not for work. When batteries with an energy capacity (kilowatt-hour) appear three to four times lower than liquid fuel (taking into account the efficiency of engines), then it is more realistic, but this, due to the technical ability to accumulate electricity, is unlikely to appear in the first half of the 21st century.
  3. zzdimk
    zzdimk
    0
    30 September 2022 13: 51
    Expensive, yet unreliable, but interesting. The Germans tried to eat such things in the 30s - 40s, sort of.
  4. Dmitry B
    Dmitry B
    0
    31 October 2022 11: 21
    I suppose that this startup was created on a wave of enthusiasm "soon, with mass production, batteries will improve and become cheaper, and we and our electric broom are right there." The main thing is to raise money from investors and receive high-tech salaries and social programs for several years ... well, if the business is also crowned with success, then also bonuses ...