NASA Unveils First-Ever Electric Airplane
In development since 2015, the plane, known as “Maxwell” will be the first crewed plane in NASA’s line of fully electric aircraft.
NASA is developing the first-ever all-electric airplane that travelers could someday fly on.
The plane, known as “Maxwell,” will be the first crewed plane in NASA’s line of fully electric aircraft. It has been under development since 2015, but was showcased for the first time in 2019 with the hopes of expanding a potential market for the new planes.
“What you see here is a Tecnam airplane built in Italy, and we've modified it with all electric systems,” said Brent Cobleigh, Project Manager for Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities Project, NASA.
“As time goes on, you'll be able to see these technologies actually move into real commercial airplanes, as companies come in and build these for commercial products that people can use,” he said.
The plane will have 14 electric motors powered by lithium ion batteries, the same technology used in cell phones and electric cars.
The plane can only reach a maximum altitude of 14,000 feet as of now, while other commercial planes can fly up to 45,000 feet. Researchers hope the plane can be used for local transport.
“If you think of like an air taxi, imagine a taxi, but in 3D, a vehicle that can lift off the ground and take you around a big city, say 20 to 50 to 100 miles,” Cobleigh said. “So that's a really interesting application for electric vehicles. And so you need electricity, electric vehicles to be able to enable that kind of market.”
NASA says they hope to have the first experimental flight by the end of 2020.
“Hopefully what we produce will be beneficial to the community,” NASA test pilot Wayne Ringelberg said.
Test flights will take place in Southern California.