Electric aircraft and mission change the way we move short distances between cities

In the next 5 years, if you want to fly from San Francisco to San Diego or short domestic flights, then you will probably be able to sit on completely electric aircraft at a cheaper fare than a good taxi. by boat. Israel's Eviation startup is trying to realize this with a 9-seat electric aircraft named Alice Commuter. The aircraft is expected to make its first commercial flight in 2021 and will cover hundreds of short flights in the US in just a few years later.

Eviation's founders said this was the right time for electric aircraft because the technology was ready. Omer Bar-Yohay, co-founder and CEO of Eviation, said: "A revolution is taking place in the aviation industry and it comes from ultra-light materials, the battery's energy storage density is higher. , electric propulsion systems are stronger and power of computing ".

Alice Commuter 9-seat electric aircraft.

While some aerospace companies such as Zunum Aero - backed by JetBlue and Boeing are still focused on developing electric gasoline-powered hybrids, Eviation chooses a pure electric solution for the car. My first aircraft by the airline said that electricity is the factor that makes flights become cheaper, everyone can access.

According to Omar, electric aircraft is cheaper than hybrid solutions because electricity is cheaper than aircraft gasoline and electric aircraft also have lower maintenance costs."If you look at the numbers, the total cost of maintenance and the cost of the complexity of a hybrid aircraft compared to the cost of changing batteries every two years of an electric plane, the battery," he said. win ".

Because battery storage systems have less energy / weight than jet fuel, small planes can only fly short distances, about 650 knots ~ 1204km and because they cannot carry many onions. Guests and electric planes will not replace large commercial passenger aircraft. However, many airlines only operate short routes and electric planes will have a cost advantage. This is the market where the Eviation wants to focus and set its first milestone.

The Alice Commuter is designed to provide the same level of certainty and comfort as standard personal jets, so the small size will not be a nuisance to passengers. First, Eviation expects domestic airlines operators to use Alice Commuter to transport passengers between small airports. Over time, the company will develop larger aircraft, which can be used for short flights instead of mid-range jet models like 737.

In addition, Eviation is ambitious to shift the "wheel and spokes" model , increasing the number of non-stop flights between small cities. ( Hub-and-spoke model is a model commonly used in aviation when major cities are considered axes and surrounding small cities are spokes, flights will be redirected and connected in large cities in large numbers while there are few connections between small cities).

Many airlines only operate short routes and electric aircraft will have cost advantages.

It is known that Eviation is building the full-scale Alice Commuter prototype since mid-2017 and is expected to perform demonstration flights in 2019. By 2021, the company hopes to achieve flight certificates and can make the first flight. Eviation's next step is to develop a larger aircraft model with a capacity of 19 passengers. The company may also pursue the design of small vertical landing aircraft for urban travel, similar to Uber's plan and many others.