As far back as 2019, the Israeli Aviation startup revealed the world’s first all-electric plane, Alice, at the Paris Air Show. Since then, the Aviation startup has been edging toward achieving its first flight ever.
However, it seems the startup has made positive improvements as we discovered that the firm had completed a high-speed taxi test on the runway of the electric plane, Alice, for a maximum range of 814 kilometers.
The Israeli Aviation startup disclosed the development via its official Twitter page, where it tweeted:
“A great day for electric aviation. More to come from Alice soon!”
“Yesterday’s high-speed taxi rotation test…nailed it. Up next: First Flight.” the company tweeted.
Alice, the World’s First Electric Plane
Judging from the first look two years ago shows that the luxury electric plane, Alice, has undergone several design changes. The latest model has a range of 814 km (506 miles) and a cruise speed of 407 km/h, thanks to two 640-kW magniX motors installed on either side of the fuselage (253 mph). With a 1,130 kg (2,500 lb) payload limit, there is room onboard for nine passengers and two crew members.
The plane’s production version was unveiled in June 2021, but the first flight was initially planned for later in the year. Even though things haven’t exactly gone as planned, the team is happy today because the plane successfully completed a high-speed taxi run.
In this testing, a rotation test was performed, in which the plane’s nose was raised off the runway in anticipation of takeoff. Naturally, things didn’t exactly get to this point, but the sight of Alice rushing down the runway and the fact that things have gotten this far will be very much appreciated by both the company’s engineers and aviation aficionados.
However, it should be noted that this is just a high-speed taxi test. When the electric plane is fully loaded, it is expected to fly 400 kilometers on batteries and generators and is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2028. Thus, stay connected with TechGenyz as we bring you the latest updates in the tech world.
