Electric buses are one thing, but surely nothing bigger could run on electricity, right? Aviation startup magniX is pushing the transportation industry to think again.
The company, based out of Everett, Washington, has plans to retrofit half an airplane's engines with powerful batteries, making it a hybrid that is expected to burn 40% less planet-warming fuel, The Seattle Times reported.
Electric replacements for dirty jet fuel might be a ways away from hitting the commercial flight industry, but the signs are promising. Semi-electric regional air travel may be closer than we think.
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The plane of the hour is a 50-passenger de Havilland Canada DHC-7, or Dash 7. Test flights are scheduled for 2026 after one of the four engines has been electrified. The ability to incrementally phase in electrification is one reason this model was selected for the project, the outlet explained.
A Dash 7 airplane has not rolled off an assembly line since 1988, and only about 100 were ever produced, making it extra special that one was able to be tracked down for the project. The interior was replaced, and the exterior was given a fresh look, according to The Seattle Times.
To make this dream come true, magniX partnered with NASA's Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration program, which supports the goal of building a hybrid plane and getting it airborne for regional use. MagniX's electric engine design got the green light to handle flying up to 27,000 feet during a preliminary test at a NASA site, The Seattle Times reported.
The outlet explained how the startup has also decided to create its own batteries instead of outsourcing. Battery weight and performance have hindered the electrification of airplanes in the past, so the company hopes to clear those obstacles by bringing the crucial component in-house.
"Seattle was the birthplace of commercial aviation and ushered in the era of jet aviation," said magniX CEO Reed Macdonald, per The Seattle Times. "We are now here as magniX in partnership with NASA, ushering in the next age of aviation and that's electric flight."
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