Eviation has outsourced the design of the production configuration of its all-electric Alice aircraft to TLG Aerospace.
The Arlington, Washington-based company conducted Alice’s maiden sortie in September 2022 – a flight that lasted just 8min. Since then it has remained largely quiet about next steps, as the aircraft has remained on the ground.
“Establishing the production configuration of the Alice aircraft is an important milestone in the programme,” Gregory Davis, Eviation’s chief executive said on 2 August. “This allows us to complete the design of the production version of the aircraft, a significant step on Alice’s path to certification.”
The aircraft’s first flight generated terabytes of data, the company has said, which is still being analysed. Speaking at the Paris air show in June, Davis said that Alice remains in an airworthy condition and could be flown if required, but that the developer is making sure “we are expending resources where we need to”.
He said: “Flying the airplane right now would have absolutely no impact on the certification process or the timeline for getting it into service.”
TLG Aerospace, meantime, says it’s “thrilled to be joining this significant chapter in the development of the Alice aircraft”.
TLG’s chief executive Steve Muenzberg, says: “Alice is an innovative, beautifully designed plane and a vital solution to reduce the aviation industry’s carbon emissions. At TLG Aerospace we are committed to supporting the aviation industry’s transition to sustainability, and working with Eviation’s Alice is a tremendous opportunity to contribute to this critical initiative.”
Eviation is targeting late 2025 for a certification-conforming aircraft, and expects approval and service entry around two years later.
