Electric aircraft motor manufacturer magniX and aerospace testing, engineering and certification company AeroTEC have conducted the first flight of an all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan 208B aircraft.
The flight test was carried out at AeroTEC Flight Test Centre at Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Moses Lake, Washington, US.
Powered by a 750hp (560kW) magni500 propulsion system, eCaravan is the world’s largest all-electric commercial aircraft.
magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski said: “The iconic Caravan has been a workhorse of industry moving people and transporting goods on short routes for decades.
“This first flight of the eCaravan is yet another step on the road to operating these middle-mile aircraft at a fraction of the cost, with zero emissions, from and to smaller airports.
“These electric commercial aircraft will enable the offering of flying services of people and packages in a way previously not possible.”
To develop the eCaravan, magniX and AeroTEC partnered to adapt a Cessna Caravan 208B aircraft that is capable of carrying nine people.
Completion of the flight test marks a major move forward in magni500 propulsion system’s certification and approval process.
AeroTEC president and CEO Lee Human said: “I’m proud of the pioneering work performed by our engineers, technicians and flight test team.
“There’s no roadmap for testing and certifying electric aircraft – this is a new frontier and AeroTEC is on the front lines developing the processes and best practices that will pave the way for electric aviation.”
