Island-hopping in the Caribbean is set to get a whole lot more eco-friendly.
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.
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.
Due to be delivered by 2027, the 50 Alice planes will allow GlobalX to offer zero-emissions flights to passengers on short haul routes.
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.
Designed on a “clean sheet” platform powered by mangi650 propulsion units from Australia’s magniX, Eviation’s Alice is currently also being evaluated in a cargo format by GlobalX.
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.
“Eviation’s 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.
“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.”
Though details such as charter costs are unsurprisingly not yet nutted out, there is some promise for cheaper island-hopping as well.
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.
That this could become reality was also hinted at in comments made by Eviation president Gregory Davis.
“We are delighted to enter this agreement with GlobalX, whose investment in zero-emissions flight demonstrates the airline’s commitment to cleaner skies, lower operational costs, and the provision of the most innovative options for air travel,” he said via a statement.
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.