“You shouldn’t assume that an electric plane is going to look like the (most successful) planes of today,” de Vries says, adding that a common misconception is that electric planes should essentially be electrified versions of the lightest regional turboprops. What you end up with is a plane that in weight proportions, for example, looks much more like old 1960s jets. Israeli-founded Eviation has flight-tested its plane, called Alice – a fully electric nine-passenger commuter plane with a range of 250 nautical miles that the company aims to put into service in 2027. “There are over 5,000 aircraft in service today in the E9X’s size category of 70 to 100 seats,” he says. If Elysian can surmount the technology and infrastructure challenges, he adds, it will then face the commercial challenge of entering a fiercely competitive market.

---

Persons: it’s, Reynard de Vries, ” de Vries, de Vries, Vries, Rob Wolleswinkel, Elysian’s, ”, de, Daniel Rosen Jacobson, Jordi Huisman, Çınar, Eviation, Alice –, Gary Crichlow, Crichlow, ” Crichlow Organizations: CNN — Commercial, Elysian, Boeing, Airbus, Delft University of Technology, “, University of Michigan, Heart Aerospace Locations: Netherlands, de Vries, British, American