Pipistrel Alpha Electro
Production Company: Pipistrel
Feature: Electric-Powered
EST. Cost of Production: $93,600*
Pipistrel, a Slovenian aircraft manufacturer, was the first to market with its two-seat Alpha Electro, which is currently in production. The Alpha Electro’s electrical costs are only around 10% of what they would be if it were fueled by gasoline instead of water. The Alpha Electro’s 277 pounds of LiPo battery cells provide enough power for little more than 60 minutes of flight, but once on the ground, it only takes around 45 minutes to fully recharge the battery. If that isn’t quick enough, the aircraft’s battery may be replaced in about 5 minutes. The Alpha Electro is the world’s only “commercially available electric airplane” at the moment.
Pipistrel Alpha Electro
Wright Electric
Production Company: Wright Electric
Feature: Electric-Powered
EST. Cost of Production: Unknown
The American startup company, Wright Electric, founded in 2016 and named after the brothers who revolutionized air travel, has partnered with EasyJet to develop a completely electric-powered airliner with the capacity to carry approximately 186 passengers on flights of up to around 300 miles. In the fall of 2021, Wright Electric began testing its new electric 2,700 hp motor, which is expected to expand the Wright 1’s range threefold to 900 miles. Wright Electric’s first actual test, with the goal of having its airliner in operation by 2030, will take place in 2023, when the business expects to send its zero-carbon, low-fuel-cost airplane on its initial test flight.
Wright Electric
