31 May 2020 || 4 min read
The flight of the Cessna Grand Caravan 208B serves as another critical step in the certification and approval process of the magni500 propulsion system, enabling future conversions of additional aircraft to magniX’s all-electric propulsion technology.
Based in Redmond, Washington, magniX is dedicated to connecting communities by enabling an era of clean and affordable commercial air travel with all-electric propulsion. The electric aviation startup has already developed 375HP and 750HP all-electric motors – which produce zero emissions and increased efficiency – and power electronics solutions for various aviation applications.
To achieve this milestone of flight testing the world’s largest all-electric aircraft, MagniX partnered with another Washington-based company, AeroTEC. AeroTEC has a strong track record of bringing products to market quickly, easily and efficiently, using innovative and scalable development, test, and certification techniques.
The successful flight of the eCaravan, magnified by a 750-horsepower (560 kW) magni500 propulsion system, took place at the AeroTEC Flight Test Center at the Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Moses Lake, Washington on the morning of May 28th. As the world’s largest all-electric commercial aircraft, this is a significant milestone in disrupting the transportation industry and accelerating the electric aviation revolution.
The world’s largest all-electric aircraft flew for 30 minutes in Moses Lake, WA. The eCaravan is magnified by the magniX magni500, a 750-horsepower electric propulsion system. Credit // magniX
“The iconic Caravan has been a workhorse of industry moving people and transporting goods on short routes for decades,” said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of magniX. “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.”
“I’m proud of the pioneering work performed by our engineers, technicians and flight test team,” said Lee Human, President and CEO of AeroTEC. “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.”
The flying of the eCaravan serves as another critical step in the certification and approval process of the magni500 propulsion system, enabling future conversions of additional aircraft to magniX’s all-electric propulsion technology.
The historic flight was captured via livestream and watched by people around the world. Following the flight, a virtual press conference was held in the Test Center’s hangar. To view images, recording of the virtual press conference and videos of the first flight of the world’s largest all-electric aircraft, visit: https://magnix.aero/ecaravan/.
Why it’s important: magniX and AeroTEC are ushering in a new wave of short-haul aviation propulsion technology, which will likely open the doors for various widespread applications in the near future. The success of this test flight demonstrates the availability of electric aviation technology and highlights the fact that technology is no longer a barrier to the implementation of aerial mobility infrastructure; certification, regulation, and public acceptance remain the primary hurdles that the industry faces.
Sources // magniX; PRNewsWire
Share this: