https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...r-first-flight
The world’s largest all-electric aircraft is about to take to the skies for the
first time.
The Cessna Caravan, retrofitted with an electric engine, is expected to fly for
20-30 minutes over Washington state in the US on Thursday.
The plane can carry nine passengers but a test pilot will undertake the
inaugural flight alone, cruising at a speed of 114mph (183km/h). The engine
maker, magniX, hopes the aircraft could enter commercial service by the end of
2021 and have a range of 100 miles.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, aviation was one of the fastest growing sources
of the carbon emissions that are driving the climate emergency. Scores of
companies are working on electric planes, although major breakthroughs in
reducing the weight of batteries will be needed before large planes can fly
significant distances on electric power alone. Other power sources being tested
include hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels.
The aviation industry is heavily regulated to ensure safety but magniX hopes
that by retrofitting an existing plane the certification process can be
accelerated. A smaller seaplane powered by a magniX engine completed a short
flight in December.
In June 2019, another company, Ampaire, flew an aircraft powered by a hybrid
electric-fossil fuel engine over California. Analysts at the investment bank UBS
said at the time that the aviation industry would move towards hybrid and
electric engines for routes less than 1,000 miles long much more quickly than
many thought.
Roei Ganzarski, the CEO of magniX, said current aeroplanes were both expensive
to operate and very polluting. “Electric airplanes will be 40%-70% lower cost to
operate per flight hour,” he said. “That means operators will be able to fly
more planes into smaller airports, meaning a shorter and door-to-door
experience, with no harmful CO2 emissions.”
Ganzarski said the company believed all flights of less than 1,000 miles would
be completely electric in 15 years’ time. But he said: “Battery [energy] density
is not where we would like to see it. While it is good for ultra-short flights
of 100 miles on a retrofit aircraft and over 500 miles on a new design aircraft
like the Alice, there is plenty of untapped potential in batteries. Now that the
first commercial aircraft has flown all-electric, battery companies are starting
to work more diligently on aerospace-ready battery solutions.”
Among the other companies developing electric aircraft are Zunum Aero, which is
building a 27-seat plane with a 680-mile range, and the engine maker
Rolls-Royce, whose Accel programme aims to produce the fastest all-electric
plane to date. However, in April, Rolls-Royce and Airbus cancelled their plans
for a hybrid electric aircraft. The German company Lilium is working on a
five-seater jet-powered electric air taxi.
The Cessna Caravan being used by magniX is one of the world’s most used
medium-range planes, with more than 2,600 operating in 100 countries. The first
flight is set for 8am Pacific time (1500 GMT) on Thursday, weather permitting.
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