Alice, the world's first all-electric passenger airplane, creates history in 8 minutes

The world's first all-electric passenger aircraft successfully took to the air in its first test flight today in Washington, United States.

Steve Crane piloted the nine-passenger aircraft as it took off from Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, a facility in Eastern Washington’s high desert that’s often used for testing innovations in aviation.

Today, our all-electric Alice aircraft electrified the skies and embarked on an unforgettable world’s first flight. See Alice make history in the video clip below. We’re honored to celebrate this groundbreaking leap towards a more #sustainable future.#electricaviation pic.twitter.com/Q9dFoTPyiB

— Eviation Aircraft (@EviationAero) September 27, 2022

The zero-emission plane travelled at an altitude of 3,500 feet for its eight-minute inaugural flight.

Here are some of Alice's specifications:

Eviation, an Israeli company, was founded in 2015 and has been pushing Alice forward ever since. The company hopes to use the information gathered during the flight to aid its production of aircraft by 2027.

The company is working on developing an FAA-certified aircraft through 2025, followed by a year or two of flight testing before it can deliver Alices to customers.

• A “Commuter” variant: The commuter configuration would hold nine passengers and two pilots, as well as 850 pounds of cargo.
• An Executive variant: The executive design would have six passenger seats for a more spacious flight.
• A specialised cargo variant: The cargo version of the plane would hold 450 cubic feet of volume.

Advocates for Alice suggest a promising future for the plane, hinting that the aircraft shall soon become commonplace in the realm of transportation. However, electrical aircraft large enough to rival commercial passenger jets such as the Airbus or Boeing are perhaps still some time away.