Island-hopping in the Caribbean is set to get a whole lot more eco-friendly.<\/p>\n
Electric plane developer Eviation says it has inked a deal with GlobalX, a regional flight company that operates in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.<\/p>\n
Following on from news in July that it joined forces with Parker Aerospace to develop Alice, its nine-seater electric aircraft, Eviation has now put pen to paper with GlobalX in a letter of intent that will see it provide 50 Alice planes to the company.<\/p>\n
Due to be delivered by 2027, the 50 Alice planes will allow GlobalX to offer zero-emissions flights to passengers on short haul routes.<\/p>\n
Specifications for the electric plane described by the company as targets include a flight range of 440 nautical miles (814km), and a maximum cruising speed of 250 knots (463km\/hr). A payload of 1.133 tonnes, and take-off needs of approximately 800 metres are also specified.<\/p>\n
Designed on a clean sheet platform powered by mangi650 propulsion units from Australias magniX, Eviations Alice is currently also being evaluated in a cargo format by GlobalX.<\/p>\n
Ed Wegel, chair and CEO of GlobalX said in a statement that the flight operator plans to use the Alice aircraft for a range of uses.<\/p>\n
Eviations Alice aircraft is setting the standard in sustainable aviation, and we plan to offer the aircraft to our cruise line, tour operators, leisure travel providers, and business clients with a need for short-haul charter flights across Florida, he said.<\/p>\n
The Alice aircraft will allow us to offer sustainable, regional flights to and from major markets, and is the first step in our initiative to be a zero-carbon emissions airline by 2050.<\/p>\n
Though details such as charter costs are unsurprisingly not yet nutted out, there is some promise for cheaper island-hopping as well.<\/p>\n
As The Driven reported in 2018, flying via an Eviation Alice could be a lot cheaper due to the much-reduced maintenance and power costs of electric motors compared to conventional aircraft engines.<\/p>\n
That this could become reality was also hinted at in comments made by Eviation president Gregory Davis.<\/p>\n
We are delighted to enter this agreement with GlobalX, whose investment in zero-emissions flight demonstrates the airlines commitment to cleaner skies, lower operational costs, and the provision of the most innovative options for air travel, he said via a statement.<\/p>\n
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.<\/p>\n
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