Eviation Aero unveiled a mock-up of its Alice a plane which can travel over 600 miles on battery power alone. CapeAir, one of the largest regional airlines in the U.S., is the first commercial customer, which plans to purchase “double-digits” of units. Ampaire announced 50 orders and 50 options for its hybrid-electric  Ampair 337. Airbus is teaming with DAHER on its Ecopulse and MagniX is flying an electric Caravan.

The aircraft can fly 650 miles (1,046 km) at around 500 miles per hour (805 km/h). The Alice uses one main Hartzell five-blade pusher-propeller at the tail and two at the wing-tips, to reduce drag, increase redundancy and improve efficiency.  The prototype carries a 900 kWh lithium-ion battery (about nine times bigger than Tesla’s largest automotive battery). The battery weighs around 3,700kg (8,200lb), which accounts for around 60% of the Alice’s 5,900kg take-off weight.

Photo Rob Vogelaar