Orders For The Eviation Alice Pass US$ 2 Billion
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Eviation.
This is the first paragraph.
Eviation Aircraft, a manufacturer of all-electric aircraft, today announced that the order book for its world-leading nine-seater all-electric Alice airplane has passed a total value of US$ 2 billion.
$2 billion is a tidy sum and I suspect it ensures that they can now concentrate on its certification program on the way to completing Entry into Service (EIS).
It looks like the day, I will fly in an electric aircraft has come closer.
EVIA AERO Orders 25 Eviation Alice Aircraft
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Aviation Source.
The Wikipedia entry for the nine passenger Eviation Alice lists these orders.
- Cape Air – 75
- Deutsche Post – 12
- GlobalX Airlines – 50
The EVIA AERO order brings the total to 162.
The larger thirty passenger Heart Aerospace ES-30 is reported in Wikipedia to have 230 orders and a hundred options, with more letters of intent.
Companies, who have proposed to buy the ES-30 include Air Canada and United Airlines.
These are substantial numbers of aircraft and they convince me that one or both of these aircraft will fly fare-paying passengers before the end of the current decade.
Portugal’s Sevenair Eyes Up To 6 Heart Aerospace ES-30 Electric Aircraft
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Simple Flying.
Some points from the article.
- Sevenair are a Portuguese regional airline.
- Sevenair run several short routes.
- Heart Aerospace has 230 firm orders and a 100 options for the the ES-30.
Heart Aerospace may not have been the first company to fly an electric airliner, but they do seem to be attracting orders.
‘It Was Wonderful’: Eviation’s Alice Electric Airplane Wins Praise After Its First Flight Test
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on GeekWire.
The long-expected first flight of Eviation Alice has happened.
The flight was only a short one and was described like this in the article.
Alice flew for eight minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 3,500 feet before landing safely back at the airport.
There is also a video in this article on Electrek, which is entitled Watch Eviation’s All-Electric Alice Aircraft First Flight.
This is an important milestone in the history of aviation.
Heart Aerospace Unveils New Airplane Design, Confirms Air Canada And Saab As New Shareholders
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Heart Aerospace.
These are the first two paragraphs of the press release.
Swedish electric airplane maker Heart Aerospace today unveiled significant design updates to its first electric aircraft and confirmed Air Canada, one of North America’s largest airlines and Saab, the Swedish aerospace and defense company, as new minority shareholders.
The new airplane design, called the ES-30, is a regional electric airplane with a capacity of 30 passengers and it replaces the company’s earlier 19-seat design, the ES-19. It is driven by electric motors powered by batteries, which allows the airplane to operate with zero emissions and low noise.
And this is a visualisation of the aircraft from Heart Aerospace..
It looks fairly normal, except that it has four electric engines instead of two turboprops.
This paragraph of the press release gives details of the engine configuration.
The airplane will also include a reserve-hybrid configuration, consisting of two turbo generators powered by sustainable aviation fuel. The reserve-hybrid system is installed to secure reserve energy requirements without cannibalizing battery range, and it can also be used during cruise on longer flights to complement the electrical power provided by the batteries.
Note.
- The slightly larger Dash 8-100 aircraft seats just under forty and has 2.7 MW of installed power.
- Rolls-Royce have a 2.5 MW hybrid turbo generator that runs on sustainable aviation fuel.
- Honeywell have a similar smaller hybrid turbo generator, based on the auxiliary power unit of an Airbus A 350.
I’m sure that Heart can find the hybrid turbo-generators they need for the ES-30.
This paragraph of the press release gives details of the performance.
This gives the airplane a fully electric range of 200 kilometers, an extended range of 400 kilometers with 30 passengers, and flexibility to fly up to 800 kilometers with 25 passengers, all-inclusive of typical airline reserves.
Eight hundred kilometres is sufficient range to serve Bordeaux, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Inverness, Paris and Shannon airports from London City Airport.
The press release also discloses that the company has received 96 letters of intent for the aircraft and expects that the in-service date will be 2028.
I don’t think that the date is unreasonable.
Aerospace Electrified By New Technology
The title of this post, is the same as of this article on the BBC.
The article is a good summary of the state of zero-carbon aviation.
News Of The Day From Rolls-Royce
This press release from Rolls-Royce is entitled Rolls-Royce Advances Hybrid-Electric Flight With New Technology To Lead The Way In Advanced Air Mobility.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Rolls-Royce is officially announcing the development of turbogenerator technology, which includes a new small engine designed for hybrid-electric applications. The system will be an on-board power source with scalable power offerings and will complement the Rolls-Royce Electrical propulsion portfolio, enabling extended range on sustainable aviation fuels and later as it comes available through hydrogen combustion.
This paragraph outlines the use of the new small engine.
Current battery technology means all-electric propulsion will enable eVTOL and fixed wing commuter aircraft for short flights in and between cities and island-hopping in locations like Norway and the Scottish Isles. By developing turbogenerator technology, that will be scaled to serve a power range between 500 kW and 1200 kW, we can open up new longer routes that our electric battery powered aircraft can also support.
There is also a video in the press release, which gives more information.
- The turbogenerator is compatible to their electric power and propulsion offering.
- The turbogenerator has a power of 500-1200 kW to serve different aircraft platforms.
- The system is modular and can be tailored to different applications.
- The turbogenerator can either power the aircraft directly or charge the batteries.
- The system can be configured to provide primary power for other applications.
- Rolls-Royce are designing all the components; the turbogenerator, the gas turbine, the generator, the power electronics, so they all fit together in a compact and lightweight solution.
- Rolls-Royce intend to manufacture all components themselves and not rely on bought-in modules.
- Every gram of weight saved is important.
I suspect that one of the keys to making this all work is a very comprehensive and clever control system.
I have a few thoughts.
Weight Is Key
Rolls-Royce emphasise weight saving in the video. Obviously, this is important with any form of flying machine.
An Example System
Let’s suppose you want an electric power system to power a railway locomotive or one of those large mining trucks.
- The locomotive or truck has an electric transmission.
- Power of 2 MW is needed.
- A battery is needed.
- Fuel will be Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) or hydrogen.
A series hybrid-electric power unit will be created from available modules, which could be very fuel efficient.
What Will Rolls-Royce’s System Be Able to Power?
Although the system is aimed at the next generation of electric flying machines, these systems will be used in any application that wants an efficient zero- or low-carbon power source.
Consider.
- Some large trucks have diesel engines with a power of almost 500 kW.
- A Class 68 bi-mode locomotive has a 700 kW diesel engine.
- A Class 802 train has three 700 kW diesel engines.
- Rolls-Royce subsidiary MTU are a large supplier of diesel engines for rail, road and water.
It looks to me that Rolls-Royce have sized the system to hoover up applications and they have MTU’s experience to engineer the applications.
Class 43 Power Cars
The iconic Class 43 power cars running on UK railways are an interesting possibility for powering with Rolls-Royce’s new system.
- Despite being over forty-years old, there are over a hundred and twenty still in service.
- They were upgraded with new 1.7 MW MTU diesel engines in the early part of this century.
- Rolls-Royce is based in Derby.
- The Class 43 power cars were developed in Derby.
- Hydrogen-powered Class 43 power cars, hauling GWR Castles or ScotRail Inter7Cities would be tourist attractions.
- The Class 43 power cars need to be either decarbonised or replaced in the next few years.
Decarbonisation using Rolls-Royce’s new system would probably be more affordable.
This all sounds like a project designed in a pub in Derby, with large amounts of real ale involved.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.
Will The System Be Upgradable From Sustainable Aviation Fuel To Hydrogen?
This is an except from the introductory paragraph.
The system will be an on-board power source with scalable power offerings and will complement the Rolls-Royce Electrical propulsion portfolio, enabling extended range on sustainable aviation fuels and later as it comes available through hydrogen combustion.
This would appear that if used in aviation, it will be possible to upgrade the system from sustainable aviation fuel to hydrogen, when a suitable hydrogen supply becomes available.
But all applications could be upgraded.
A truck, like the one shown in the picture could be delivered as one running on sustainable aviation fuel and converted to hydrogen later.
Conclusion
Rolls-Royce have put together a modular system, that will have lots of applications.
2.7M Tonnes Of Co2 Could Be Saved Per Year If UK Domestic Flights Went Electric
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Simple Flying.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Analysing over 100 domestic routes within the UK, researchers have uncovered some significant Co2 reductions upon the inevitable switch to electric.
It is an excellent summary of the state and potential of electric airliners in the UK.
The article gives this example of the sort of carbon savings, that can be achieved.
One of the shortest domestic flights in the United Kingdom, a 38-minute hop between Belfast International and the Isle of Man, uses around 36kg of carbon dioxide per passenger. In 2019, the route served approximately 20,000 passengers – with a switch to electric aviation, 752 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be cut on the 76-mile flight.
The article says this about one of the more developed electric aircraft; the ES-19 from Heart Aerospace.
One manufacturer, in particular, is seeing a significant surge in interest; Swedish electric aircraft startup, Heart Aviation. Currently holding letters of interest from United Airlines and Finnair, Heart’s 19-seat ES-19 is set to be the first all-electric regional aircraft, boasting a 400km range with a full-charge time of just 40 minutes. The first flight is planned for 2024, with an anticipated 2026 start date.
Airports within a 400 km range from London would include.
- Anglesey
- Blackpool
- Exeter
- Guernsey
- Jersey
- Leeds/Bradford
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Newquay
- Norwich
- Paris
- Schipol
Dublin, Isle of Man and Newcastle are just over 400 km.
Note.
I also suspect that Dublin, Edinburgh, Leeds and Liverpool would make excellent hubs for electric aircraft.
I used Free Map Tools to get the distances.
Eviation Says Cape Air Will Take 75 Alice Aircraft
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Flight Global.
Orders in the Wikipedia entry for the Eviation Alice says this.
The first buyer for the Alice was Cape Air, a regional airline serving the Northeastern United States as well as the Caribbean. In August 2021, Deutsche Post announced that it had ordered 12 aircraft for use by DHL to transport cargo, with delivery planned from 2024. In April 2022, Eviation stated that Cape Air ordered 75 planes.
It does look like this innovative aircraft could be ready for more than just a first flight.
Applicability To The UK
I have a feeling, that we’ll see a lot of five-to-nine electric aircraft in the UK, as we have lots of islands and quite a lot of small airports.
The Alice has a range of around 500 miles, which is useful, but the take-off run of 800 metres could be a limitation on some islands.
Conclusion
I can’t wait to fly in an Alice.
Electrified Regional Air Mobility Will Be Disruptive & Mature Rapidly In Coming Years
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Clean Technica.
It is very much a must-read article, where the author analyses technology and how it will affect regional aviation.
He comes to the conclusion, that electric aircraft will develop much quicker than autonomous systems and full digital air traffic control.
He feels that we’ll see rapid development of electric aircraft flying traditionally with a pilot in charge, who talks to air traffic controllers.
Effectively, this is the system that was in operation, when I used to fly my Cessna 340 all round the UK and Western Europe thirty years ago.
Adding in electric aircraft to this system, is very similar to adding a car with a certified alternative power source to the traffic of the UK.
I think this means, that electric aircraft need to have a pilot on board to be certified, as any certification involving passenger will have to be as risk-free as possible.
The article mentions Electron Aviation. The author describes their operational model like this.
Electron Aviation, for example, sees that a 4-seater, one-pilot plane can become the workhorse of a regional short-haul leisure and business travel on-demand flight service in the second half of this decade, with planes coming to a small airport near customers, who are delivered by electric Ubers at either end. The economics work out with electric airplanes where they don’t with current internal combustion planes.
As Electron’s UK address is in Mildenhall in Suffolk, which is close to the UK horseracing centre of Newmarket, I know from my past experience that their model of four-seat air-taxis certainly works in the racing industry.
The specification for their aircraft looks impressive.
- Very aerodynamic with a high aspect ratio wing.
- Tricycle retractable undercarriage.
- Twin-pusher propellers.
- 186 mph cruise at 10,000 feet.
- 466 mile range.
- Low noise.
- Zero emissions.
Looking at the visualisation on the home page of their web site, I suspect that the battery is at the centre of lift in the middle of the plane to give excellent flying characteristics.
I also think, that their concept is scalable and that a larger aircraft could be built to a similar layout.
Conclusion
I am happy to agree with the author’s conclusion, that electric aircraft will revolutionise regional aviation in a short space of time.
The Anonymous Widower 