All-electric passenger plane prototype makes its maiden flight

Eviation will then start developing FAA-certified aircraft through 2025, followed by a year or two of testing.

The world's first all-electric passenger plane has completed its maiden test flight.

The all-electric plane called Alice, developed by Israeli-based Eviation took to the skies on Tuesday morning from Grant County International Airport in Washington state. The short test flight lasted eight minutes, with the all-electric plane reaching an altitude of 3,500 feet.

Alice, the all-electric passenger plane, is said to come with battery technology similar to that of electric cars. Eviation is targeting one or two hours of flying after 30 minutes of charge and with a total of nine passengers on board, plus 2 pilots. The aviation company is also said to be aiming at a total range of 250 nautical miles. It is expected to have a max cruising speed of 250 knots (287 mph / 463 kmph).

The company will now review all the data received from its maiden test flight to move ahead with the next steps. Eviation will then start developing FAA-certified aircraft through 2025, followed by a year or two of testing, before entering Alice into commercial service in 2027.

Eviation is planning three different versions of Alice: Commuter, Executive and Cargo. The commuter version will hold nine passengers and 2 pilots, with 386 kg of cargo. The Executive version will hold 6 passengers, while the Cargo version will have a total of 450 cubic feet of volume.

Source: CNN