credits: Eviation aircrafts
Eviation Aircraft – the Israeli start-up aviation company – has chosen the 240 kwh Siemens engines powered by 900 KWh lithium ion batteries, as one of the engine options for its new Alice electric aircraft intended for the use of the business aviation sector. The aircraft – with an autonomy of 540nm, 11 seats, 1259 kg of useful payload and a mtow of only 5.900 kg – will probably be presented to the public during the Paris airshow in June, after the acquisition of a permit to fly.
In addition to the boom in the application of electric propulsion in the general aviation sector and in the next (unmanned) urban mobility vehicles, the new frontier will be the application of this new type of engines also for commercial aircrafts.
According to the plans of the manufacturer, the product development will take place in three phases: a first phase aimed at the aircraft’s system integrations, a second one for ground testings, a final one with in flight tests; the first two phases will take place in the european territory (France) while the last one in USA.
A total of 3 prototypes are planned to be built.
The aircraft will be destined to the American market, at least in a first phase of the product distribution process, and will have a cost ranging from $ 3.5 million to $ 4 million; it will be sold with a double motorization option to allow a greater possibility of customization for the product.
The sale of Alice will be presumably initiated t in 2022 after the purchase of the European (EASA) and American (FAA) Type rating certifications.
