The First All-Electric Passenger Plane Is Coming Sooner Than You Think

Multiple airlines have signed a letter of intent to purchase the all-electric aircrafts.

Eviation Alice all-electric passenger plane shown at nighttime
Photo courtesy of Eviation
Photo courtesy of Eviation

We love to travel just as much as the next person, but here's the problem with that wanderlust. It hurts our planet. Your flights to Europe, Asia, and even Florida are contributing to our global warming problem, which is why there are geniuses out there perfecting an all-electric passenger plane to solve some issues.

In September of 2022, a nine-passenger commuter aircraft, dubbed Alice, made its runway debut at Washington's Grant County International Airport in a significant milestone for carbon pollution-free aviation, as The Verge previously reported.

Now, just a few months later, the company behind Alice, Eviation Aircraft, has successfully secured contracts with a number of major airlines, and all-electric passenger planes will soon be soaring the skies. In November 2022, Northern Territory Air Services (NTAS), an Australian airline and charter aircraft operator, reportedly signed a letter of intent for 20 Alice planes. In that month only, the overall Alice sales surpassed $2 billion.

"Our order book passing the US$ 2 billion mark is a significant commercial milestone," Gregory Davis, President and CEO of Eviation, said in a statement. "This success demonstrates that the Alice is leading the industry and meeting the market demand for zero-carbon flight. We are already seeing a growing clamour from passengers for sustainable aviation, matched by an increasingly robust attitude from regulators. By ordering the Alice, our forward-thinking customers are positioning themselves wisely for the future."

The word spread pretty quickly, and soon after, additional orders started coming in. In December, the major airline Air New Zealand was the first national flag carrier to order up to 23 Alice aircrafts. Aerus quickly followed, and in January the regional Mexican airline signed a letter of intent for 30 all-electric aircrafts.

Alice is also the only all-electric commercial airplane certified to carry passengers, according to the Seattle Times. During its test flight, Alice reached 3,500 feet in an eight-minute trip. And while this is a huge step, it will likely take a while before the planes are commercially ready. As CNN previously reported, Eviation is aiming to achieve an FAA-certified aircraft by 2025 and to deliver the plane to customers by 2027.

According to the outlet, there will be three iterations of the electric plane, including a nine-passenger commuter, six-passenger luxury aircraft, and an e-cargo. There has to be a limit to size because of the battery capacity, which carries other limits. On a single charge, Alice will be capable of traveling one to two hours at a max speed of 287 miles per hour (about half the max speed of a Boeing 737) with today's battery technology.

However, the Biden administration is also looking at more sustainable aviation fuels to further reduce pollution. Those could be made from corn, algae, or even municipal waste.

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Megan Schaltegger is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist.
Serena Tara is a Staff Writer on the News team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.