On September 27, 2022, in the north of the United States, a plane rose to the
sky. An unusual plane. It has no pistons, no turbines… no gasoline, nor kerosene. What it
does have is a futuristic appearance, great risks and no less ambitions. Yes, into the
heavenly Wanderland flies the electric Alice - a plane, the very concept of which was considered
ineffective. Let's see if it managed to change this opinion. I present to you the Eviation Alice.
The Israeli company Eviation, whose name can be deciphered as Electric Aviation,
was founded not so long ago, in 2015. The company's goal was to create an
electric aircraft. Moreover, not an urban vertical aircraft,
as it is now very fashionable to… announce, but precisely a full-fledged small aircraft.
This task is very difficult. Many tried to use electric motors as the basis for the power plant
of aircraft, from local inventors to large firms, but… given that we still fly on good
old gasoline-kerosene, their initiatives did not seem to succeed. But, at the beginning of
the 21st century, the development of technologies for engines, batteries,
the reduction in cost of their production, the emergence of more or less widespread
electric ground transport and the prevalence of environmental problems pushed the industry
forward and the founders of Eviation decided that they could create such an aircraft, or at least
try with a sufficient chance of success. Given the complexity of the task and the risks, the
aviators were in no hurry, gathering partners who could help both financially and technologically.
I will note that initially, the ambitions were very big. Eviation wanted to make 2
aircraft at once. One - a kind of light and cheap air taxi without cabin pressurization
and with simple equipment. And the second - already cooler option from the niche of
business aviation with a full set of equipment, a more powerful engine and better performance. But,
over time, they decided to concentrate and make one plane - of course, the cooler one.
In 2018, they created a prototype to scale - it was a 290 kg (660 lb) remote controlled model
that had to confirm the overall concept. And it confirmed that the plane had good
aerodynamics and was well controlled. The main challenge was, of course, not the
airframe, but the power plant and, first of all, its energy source - batteries, still too limited
in capacity and heavy. Eviation decided that improved lithium polymer batteries could solve
this problem. The engines were not simple either. The company was choosing between the offspring of
the American MagniX and the German Siemens, and their choice fell on the MagniX Magni 250 engine,
capable of delivering 375 hp (280 kW) - three of these should have been enough.
At the same time, MagniX was not just a contractor. A 70% stake in Eviation was soon
bought by Singapore-based investment company Clermont Group, which also owned MagniX. As
a result, in 2019, Eviation, having already attracted about $200 million in investments,
also received a large and wealthy patron. With such resources, it was possible to
step wider. While scientific work was being carried out in the USA, a prototype was being
assembled in France, already a full-fledged one. It was first shown at the Paris Airshow in the
summer of 2019. The unusual V-tail aircraft with wingtip engines definitely attracted attention:
by the end of the year, Eviation already had a portfolio of orders for about 150 aircraft at an
average cost of $4 million per unit - considering the likely discounts for launch customers,
it turns out that for its price it is in the category of aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12.
Though 2020 was off to a bad start. There was a fire on the prototype, the battery
compartment ignited, who would have thought. No one was hurt, but the plane was lost. ---
Shortly after the loss of the prototype, Eviation announced that they were creating a new one and
were planning to make… some changes to its design. When the prototype was presented to the public,
it turned out that some of the changes were a fundamental revision of the design. Why this was
done remained a mystery, apparently, that option was too tricky, and the new aircraft turned out to
be much more conservative in terms of layout. It was this plane that, in the end, made the
first flight and can be considered the final version, so we can describe it in more detail.
So, the Eviation Alice is, well, on the surface it is more or less a classic aircraft. The fuselage,
widening at the bottom and strongly elongated in the tail section. A straight wing with winglets
at the tips, a T-tail with a large fin, a tricycle landing gear and two engines
with pulling propellers on pylons in the tail - the airplane, I must admit,
is very stylish. Length 17,4 m (57 ft), wingspan 19,2 m (63 ft), height 3,84 (12 ft).
Maximum takeoff weight: approximately 8,350 kg (18400 lb) - wow. For example,
the Cessna SkyCourier weighs 8.6 tons (19,000 lb), and that, for a moment, is a hefty 19-seat
transport with two turboprops. And this is despite the fact that Alice is as composite
as possible - new materials account for more than 90% of the airframe - here the guys went all out.
Meanwhile, the maximum payload of the aircraft is 1130 kg (2500 lb). The fuselage outline
resembles an elongated drop, making the cabin quite roomy with a maximum height
of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and a width of 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in). In a normal, passenger configuration,
it can accommodate 9 seats. The business class cabin accommodates 6 people,
but has a toilet and more comfortable chairs. The third, cargo version, with an empty cabin,
has a volume of about 12.7 m3 (450 ft3). In the tail section of the aircraft there is a
luggage compartment, which is accessed through a large door on the port side behind the wing.
The landing gear was made for the aircraft by the Italian Magnaghi Aeronautica, which already
supplies these elements to the flying Ferrari Piaggio Avanti. The avionics and flight system,
including automatic landing, will be supplied by Honeywell. The cockpit has two seats,
quite an ordinary configuration, but is equipped with modern solutions,
Fly-by-Wire, touch screens and sidesticks. The power plant in the new version has
been seriously revised. The exotic scheme with three pusher engines,
two of which are on the wingtips, is a thing of the past, giving way to a pair on the tail.
Since there are now fewer engines, their power had to be increased. So, the 375-horsepower Magni 250
gave way to the 950-horsepower (700 kW) Magni 650. Next I have to talk about the flight performance,
and here, alas, Alice starts to have problems. The main problem is, yes, the batteries again.
It was originally planned that the aircraft would receive high-capacity batteries capable
of providing a range of 550-650 miles, 1000-1200 km, which can be considered
quite a decent indicator. But the reality turned out to be cruel, the technology does not keep
up with the aircraft and it had to be equipped with batteries, the capacity of which is less,
and the mass is greater - to answer the question why Alice is so heavy,
the battery pack alone weighs about 3.7 tons (8200 lbs). The reduction in capacity led
to the fact that its planned range is up to 440 miles, about 800 km, which is just sad.
Even sadder were the results of flight tests, after which Eviation stated that the range of
Alice, at the moment, is only 250 miles… 460 km… for an aircraft that’s good for nothing,
which led to many jokes that passengers should take Power Banks with them on the flight to
increase the flight range. For Eviation, this range is a big challenge for the coming years.
The flight speed of the aircraft can reach 260 knots, 480 km/h - the level of close piston
twin-engine aircraft. Takeoff and landing will require a runway up to 840 meters (2750 ft). ---
Ground testing of the prototype began in December 2021. The Eviation Alice
made its first flight in September 2022 at the airport in Moses Lake,
Washington. It was at the beginning of tests that Eviation announced the reduction in flight range,
and the start date for operation, at the same time, shifted to the right, settling around 2027.
The company's plans for the development of their project remain relevant. It is quite possible that
over the next few years before the start of serial deliveries, they will nevertheless receive the
necessary batteries and will be able to bring the performance of the aircraft to the desired level.
And if they succeed, the aircraft can seriously affect the market. And it's not even about
environmental friendliness, which, of course, is always emphasized, but also about the economy.
Electricity is cheaper than kerosene, electric motors are easier to maintain and the entire
aircraft becomes cheaper due to this. According to Eviation's calculations, an Alice flight hour
should cost about $200, which is significantly cheaper than similar piston aircraft, not to
mention turboprops and, especially, jets. Although, given the limitations in terms
of performance, in particular, in terms of range, Alice will effectively compete with
them only in a limited market for short-range routes. But the aviators are optimistic,
saying that 45% of routes less than 565 miles (1,050 km) actually have a range of about 260
miles (480 km) and this is precisely the niche Alice is claiming, at least for now.
Perhaps Eviation's plans are real and even with limitations, Alice will be able to
conquer the market, becoming, over time, better and better. Perhaps we are on the verge of the
birth of an electric aviation industry that is cheap, environmentally friendly and efficient.
Or maybe it's all a good face for a bad game and the battery problem still pushes electric
aircraft to the ground. Who knows. At least a few customers with a very decent portfolio
believe in it. In any case, we, aviation fans and customers of this miracle, will be watching.
Comment what you think about… Alice and her prospects. Fast flights on different,
interesting planes and soft landings to you.