First all-new, electric commuter airplane takes flight at Moses Lake
MOSES LAKE — After months of delay, a sleek all-electric airplane prototype buzzed like a hornet at the end of the runway, then sped off and lifted into the sky above Central Washington on its first flight at 7:10 a.m. Tuesday.
The plane took two wide turns around the airfield, climbing to 3,500 feet. As it passed directly overhead, people on the ground heard a whirring buzz, a fluttering of air from the propellers at the rear of the fuselage.
The plane landed safely just 8 minutes later. As it taxied in to the terminal, it gave a couple more loud buzzes when the pilot revved the motors.
The plane, built to carry nine passengers and one or two pilots, was designed and built by Arlington-based startup Eviation to demonstrate the potential for an electric commercial commuter aircraft flying a few hundred miles between cities at an altitude of around 15,000 feet.
It’s powered by just over 21,500 small Tesla-style battery cells that, at just over 4 tons, make up fully half the weight of the carbon composite airframe.
