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The world's first electric commercial aircraft owned and operated by Harbour Air is seen landing following its maiden flight in Richmond, British Columbia, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Pic: (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

The World’s First Electric Commercial Airplane Takes Maiden Flight

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An electric airplane built for commercial purposes has made history after taking an inaugural test flight in Vancouver, Canada.

 

Harbour Air, an airliner that operates a fleet carrying half a million passengers a year, flew the all-electric seaplane built by MagniX for 15 minutes along the Fraser River.

 

The world’s first electric commercial aircraft Tuesday. Photo: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP.

 

“This historic flight signifies the start of the third era in aviation – the electric age,” Harbour Air and MagniX said in a statement.

 

The benefits of electric aircraft include lowering the operating costs for airliners and zero emissions. However, so far they have proved to be a far bigger engineering challenge than other electric vehicles like cars and trains.

 

The main challenge, however, is the amount of power needed to launch an electric plane into the air and sustain its flight. It requires large batteries and motors that make them very difficult to fly.

 

MagniX accomplished this feat by retrofitting a 62-year-old DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane with a 750hp electric motor.

 

Harbour Air said it wants to convert more planes. The eventual goal is electrifying its entire fleet of more than 40 seaplanes. The airline, however, warned that this could take up to two years.

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Electric Airplane to Increase Flight Range

Issues also need to be overcome regarding the planes’ range, as it is currently limited to around 100 miles before the battery needs to be recharged.

 

“The range now is not where we’d love it to be, but it’s enough to start the revolution,” Roei Ganzarski, CEO of MagniX, told AFP.

 

“[But] If people are willing to drive an hour to work, why not fly 15 minutes to work?”

 

As technology advances, it is expected that there will be an increase in flight range. A non-commercial electric plane has already crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as part of a round-the-world trip in 2017.

 

Harbour Air expects the eBeaver to go into commercial service by 2022.

 

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