Florida-based charter company GlobalX has signed a letter of intent (LOI) for an order of 50 all-electric Eviation Alice aircraft. According to the company, which started passenger operations in August 2021, the aircraft will be used for passenger routes in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. GlobalX says it is expecting delivery of its first Alice in 2027, noting that it is also considering the cargo variant of the model.
“Charter travel is attractive to both individuals and groups as it offers flexibility, privacy and convenience,” said Eviation President Gregory Davis. “Alice represents a pioneering approach to making this type of aviation sustainable for generations to come. We are delighted to enter this agreement with GlobalX, whose investment in zero-emissions flight demonstrates the airline’s commitment to cleaner skies, lower operational costs, and the provision of the most innovative options for air travel.”
For the nine-passenger Alice commuter, Eviation is targeting a single-charge range of 440 NM, top cruise speed of 250 knots and payload of 2,500 pounds. The company is planning commuter, executive and cargo version of the aircraft, which is powered by two magniX magni650 electric propulsion units. The Alice prototype has been undergoing ground testing but has not yet flown.
Now when they bird strike and destroy the starboard composit propellor on takeoff, I bet they will wish that they went with a LARGE vertical tail to at least have SOME control before impact. Obviously they will be only left with one tail prop that will not be able to keep it aloft.
The current design features a T-tail, tricycle landing gear, and a pair of motors mounted on pylons at the rear of the plane. AvWeb blew it with the image they posted – that prototype was destroyed by a battery fire, and has little similarity to the current design (beyond the name).
Thanks Rush; I just went to their website. Thanks goodness they pulled the thrust lines inward and used a more conentional tail. The pictured design is unsafe at any speed 😉
Hmmnnn…
Paper company orders paper airplanes.
Reminds me of Eclipse.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
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Well, at least no money has changed hands yet.
440NM seems downright ridiculous even allowing for a few years worth of battery improvement. They have been talking about a ‘maiden flight’ all year and it still hasn’t happened… and even if it does happen this year, it’ll last for about 10 mins *max*, I’ll be bound!
Looking at those numbers I guess they must have found the next Great Leap Forward in battery life which no-one else has figured out.
Is prop-to-ground clearance on the centerline rear prop going to limit its operation to “in-flight-only”? The photo makes it appear that prop strikes could be a problem with only a small bit of over rotation.
See my reply above to Artie. The plane shown is NOT the current design.
Attention skeptics – C’mon Man! As an engineer with much experience in failure mode analysis I can state with good authority that if it has not flown, it has not failed. Until then it’s all good… Right? No? LOL
I have to wonder if these unicorn-shaped balloon animals inflated with Unobtainium should be named “Maytag” due to how very clean the money gets once it goes through the product’s business structure. Not an accusation, just a questioning thought.
Eviation’s 16,500 pound Alice uses a 7800 pound/3500Kg battery, rated at 900KWh, which properly managed between 20% and 80% charge can provide 540KWh, or 540 real-world shaft HP for one hour (remember the motor/controller and wiring are not 100% efficient, so KWh and HP are nearly synonymous)
So, barring some remarkable reduction in lift induced drag (again, remember it takes a well known amount of thrust to create lift) and/or a remarkable ability to remain in high speed cruise flight using only 125HP, this thing is going to have 15 minutes of IFR range.
By way of comparison, our 10,450 pound Pilatus PC-12 uses a flat rated 1200HP, (compare to 1200KWh battery size) to climb to altitude over 20 minutes. Any way you slice it the KWh consumed simply lifting 10,500 pounds to 25,000 feet is about 400KWh. And we’ve not even started to cruise yet.
Don’t tell me Eviation can lift 16,500 pounds to altitude using their 540KWh worth of power and actually go anywhere.
Here! Here! A knowledgeable person with specific info for discussion! After reading the article, my first thoughts are specs, the ones not discussed in real world terms like your brief. While not an engineer in any area no one has taken electrical info about e-aircraft requirements for actual a/c weight including loads, specific battery kwh rating, electric motor(s) current draw in all phases of flight, reserve power for emergency alternate airport deviation, etc. At the least, you present some basic info. With electrical laws well established, providing specs of battery and motor may reveal either a pie in the sky attempt at marketing (Tesla’s ev semi truck has isn’t reality despite years of marketing hype) or real world demonstrated performance. One great example was the converted DHC Beaver(?) in Alaska to electric several years ago as proof of concept yet no more news updates of practical chartered flights.
Ahhh yes, THIS is why I come to AvWeb… Smart people calling out dumb ideas. Good stuff Chris C!
Thank you, Chris C. I wonder all the time why people don’t run the simple numbers on claims like these. Tough to get around the laws of physics!
I just looked at the eviation web site. There is an asterisk next to the range number. The footnote says “TARGET range, zero wind, NO PAYLOAD, IFR reserves” (My emphasis)
Let’s see; we have a new airplane that has not yet flown, and an FAA that has not yet formulated the standards on such a craft, and they project it will enter commercial service in less than five years? What could go wrong here? 😳
It’s a fine line for aviation publications to “report the news” vs. reality. For those of us who have been around the industry for a while, these unproven claims don’t do the industry any favors. It’s gotten so common that most people have become skeptical of MOST breathless “breakthrough” developments that are “just around the corner.” Even worse, when “orders” for a new airplane that has yet to fly (or even reach the intended configuration!) by an “airline” that is still in the “concept” stage–it borders on fraud.
Unsubstantiated claims like this borders on Propaganda. People have to RELY on the news media–and media that reports unsubstantiated claims cannot be cited as a “reliable source.” As my old Dad said many years ago–“Reliability and trust are your greatest assets.” If media loses trust, they are no better than the wildly false claims of “Baghdad Bob” during the Gulf War.
Increasingly, media has ignored the need to “only report verified facts” in search of “being first.” BE CAREFUL–news media–reliability is your livelihood and stock in trade–your BIGGEST ASSET. Better to miss a “scoop” than to report unsubstantiated information.
Started passenger service in August 2021, a little over a year ago. Not long enough to have learned that the way to make a little money in aviation…
One thing I will point out is that other aircraft manufacturers also advertise a maximum range, maximum speed, and maximum payload value for their product/design. It doesn’t mean you get all three on the same flight.