The First Zero-Emission Electric Plane Takes Flight

Meet Alice

Image credit: Eviation

There’s good news on the horizon for those of us who wish to travel to our adventures, but feel queasy about the resulting carbon emissions. On September 27, 2022, Eviation Aircraft, a manufacturer of all-electric aircraft, successfully completed the first flight of its zero-emission Alice aircraft. Alice flew for 8 minutes at an altitude of 3,500 feet. 

Though electric vehicles and aircraft are not without problems (like, a lot of them), the capabilities for substantial reduction in carbon emissions due to air travel is a welcome innovation for a planet that according to UN officials is “firmly on track toward an unlivable world,” and needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions immediately to avoid further devastation (we are already seeing a rise in extreme weather events, such as flash floods, extreme heat, more intense hurricanes, and longer burning wildfires due to global warming).

Cape Air, Global Crossing Airlines and DHL Express have already placed orders to add Alice’s to their fleets. "The first flight of Alice confirms our belief that the era of sustainable aviation is here," said Geoff Kehr, Senior Vice President, Global Air Fleet Management, DHL Express. According to My Climate’s Flight Emission Calculator, a single passenger flight from La Guardia Airport in New York to Denver International Airport in Colorado emits 0.925 tonnes of carbon dioxide. According to their calculations, in order to stop climate change the maximum amount of carbon dioxide that can be generated by a single person in a year is 0.600 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Which is to say that zero-emission air travel may be a useful solution to rapidly decreasing carbon emissions.