An all-electric commuter plane has been revealed in Moses Lake, Washington. | Wall Paper Flare
An all-electric commuter plane has been revealed in Moses Lake, Washington. | Wall Paper Flare
MagniX and AeroTEC recently unveiled a Cessna passenger plane that was retrofitted in Washington state to become the largest all-electric airplane to date.
The electric motor maker, MagniX, that is located in Redmond, Washington, joined forces with flight testing contractor AeroTEC to transform a single-engine Cessna 208B Grand Caravan to fly on nothing more than battery power, NPR reported.
Steve Crane, who is the AeroTEC chief test pilot, wore his lucky ball cap when he set off to test the new machine. He tested the plane by flying over the Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake before expertly landing the craft.
"I have not been set on fire when I have had this hat. So, very important," Crane told NPR. "It was very quiet and very responsive."
To charge the machine, the operator must plug the cord in to recharge the batteries. The charging apparatus is similar to an electric car charger.
Lee Human, who is the AeroTEC CEO, told NPR the presentation demonstrates that electric flight is not a far off dream as some would imagine.
"We were able to show, 'Look, this is real technology,'" Human told NPR after the test flight. "It is here today. It performs admirably. We met all of our test objectives."
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