Eviation’s ‘Alice’ Electric Demonstrator Takes Flight for the First Time

WA – Eviation’s sleek, electric airplane demonstrator, Alice flew for the first time from Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Moses Lake, Washington. The experimental aircraft’s first flight lasted about 9 minutes, 3 seconds. Powered by twin, rear-mounted magniX650 electric motors, Alice flew a test-flight pattern above the airport before touching down back at Moses Lake.

Eviation has gained quite a bit of attention across the emerging electric aircraft industry, as the Israeli startup attempts to develop and bring to market a viable, fully electric airplane for regional cargo and passenger flights. Alice is designed to seat nine passengers and two pilots. Maximum cruise speed: 250 knots. Range: about 440 nm. It has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 16,500 pounds.

Eviation had been hoping to conduct Alice’s first flight late last year, but the company said the COVID-19 pandemic and bad weather pushed testing and preparations into 2022. During a taxi test last January 28 at Arlington Municipal Airport (KAWO) north of Seattle, Alice experienced a runway excursion which sent it a few hundred feet off Runway 16. No damage or injuries were reported, but shovels and elbow grease were required to free the gear before Alice was towed back to its hangar. In the spring, the bulk of the project was relocated to KMWH.

The project has already attracted at least one potential operator. In 2019, regional carrier Cape Air signed a provisional agreement to be the launch customer for Alice. Interest has been rising in the mostly carbon-fiber, battery-powered, clean-sheet T-tail design since it was first spotted at KAWO late last year. Eviation intends to shake up the turboprop commuter airline market with an airplane that it says will fly cleaner and smoother than conventional turboprops, as well as be cheaper to operate. Eviation intends to certify Alice under Part 23 for airworthiness. Alice has the potential to become a vital part of a new zero-emissions travel ecosystem. Cracking the code of how to build a viable electric airliner could trigger a significant increase in regional air passenger routes. That, in turn, could dramatically change the current system which is influenced by hub airports. New challenges lay ahead as Eviation enters the next phase of Alice’s development. While the test crew works to learn more about the airplane’s flight dynamics, company officials say the strategy will always be focused on safety first.