This is what the world s largest electric plane looks like. Soon it will start flying commercially
Yes, it is the largest aircraft powered by an electric motor. Yes, this aircraft is a modified Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. The flight lasted 30 minutes.
However, this is a test model. Magnix and AeroTEC, responsible for the electrification of 208B, want to obtain official certification of the new propulsion by the end of 2021. According to representatives of both companies, by that time battery technology should have developed sufficiently to allow an electric caravan to conduct commercial flights over 100 miles , with full load, i.e. with 10 passengers on board. Let's return to the test copy.
The largest electric aircraft is powered by a 750 HP engine
Electric Cessna made her first test flight from Moses Lake airport. 30 minutes in the air, according to the pilot and all engineers involved in this project went smoothly.
Not counting, of course, the range, which still remains the achiless heel of electric aircraft and strongly limits their use. Representatives of Magnix and AeroTEC believe, however, that electric-powered aircraft will find their commercial use on shorter routes. Anyway, not without reason.
Electric motors designed by Magnix are soon to power a small fleet of Harbor Air seaplanes. Tests of the experimental copy were successful at the end of last year.
The Magnix drive developed for the Cessna 208B is slightly larger. Currently, the largest electric aircraft in the world is powered by a Magni500 engine, which has 750 hp at 1,900 revolutions per minute. The electric motor is powered by 750 V lithium-ion batteries, each weighing approximately 1 ton. Their big plus is the not too long charging time - the energy expenditure needed to complete a 30-minute flight is replenished in about 30-40 minutes. Of course, a more convenient idea would be to replace worn cells shortly after landing, but due to their large weight, this idea is dropping for now.
The diesel engine, installed by default in this model (at least now) is a turboprop ratt & Whitney Canada PT6A with 867 hp. The difference in power translates into a smaller number of passengers on board - the 208B with combustion engine can take up to 14, representatives of Magnix and AeroTec, in turn, speak about 10 people on board.
The use of electric aircraft
However, this difference is acceptable. At least in the initial period, when electric aircraft from the perspective of smaller carriers are starting to present themselves as a cheaper, meaningless and ecological alternative to aircraft with internal combustion engines.
- Magnix and AeroTEC believe that the Carnivans powered by Magni500 are ideal for handling routes less than 500 miles connecting smaller cities. Several decades ago, small airlines called "commuters" operated such routes in the United States. Almost all carriers providing this type of service, however, have long since fallen, which is why there is now a huge gap for this type of service - says Lee Human, CEO of AeroTEC.
Representatives of both companies also boast that the interest in electric drive, which they have developed together, is much greater than could have been expected. For now, however, none of the representatives revealed any specific figures. It's good to see, however, that the idea of electric-powered aircraft is still being developed. I would not be offended if in a few years such regional electric flights would be offered in our country.
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This is what the world's largest electric plane looks like. Soon it will start flying commercially
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