Just a few years ago, the topic of electric commercial aircraft was still a joke. But the regional Australian company Northern Territory Air Service (NTAS) ordered 20 electric aircraft from the manufacturer Eviation and is far from the only customer.

Commercial jets use massive amounts of fuel just to maintain cruising altitude and are the only way to travel thousands of kilometers. But new innovations in the industry have brought technology that Eviation is poised to bring to aviation, and interested companies have begun placing orders.

Few details are available about the NTAS – Eviation business. It is known that electric planes will be used on short routes of less than 500 kilometers. The first cars will not be delivered before 2027. But Eviation will also work for major companies outside of Australia, such as DHL Express, Cape Air, GlobalX and Evia Aero.

Eviation has gained infamous popularity over the years for several reasons. First, the Eviation Alice passenger plane is larger than its competitors. In addition, the company gained credibility when Eviation Alice made its first flight in September (which no other startup had done before), lasting eight minutes and soaring more than 1,000 meters.

Alice’s characteristics are impressive. It can carry a payload of about 1,100 kilograms (in cargo, executive or nine-passenger configurations with luggage) and can fly over 400 kilometers at a speed of 250 knots (480 km/h). Although the numbers are far from transcontinental, the Eviation Alice will be in line with other small short-haul aircraft.

Ways to electrify aviation are still being sought. Some companies believe that hybrid engines will be the next step, while others believe that hydrogen is the future. But it is obvious that he started on this path.

Sources: Teslarati, MSN.