B.C. based airline Harbour Air is set to become the world’s first airline with an all-electric fleet.
The company has recently partnered with engineering firm MagniX that has developed an electric propulsion system that powers a 750 horsepower electric motor.
The first aircraft to be converted will be the DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver, a six passenger plane, and the companies expect to conduct the first tests late this year.
“In 2018, 75% of worldwide airline flights were 1,000 miles or less in range,” Roei Ganzarski, CEO of MagniX, said in a statement.
“With MagniX’s new propulsion systems coupled with emerging battery capabilities, we see tremendous potential for electric aviation to transform this heavily trafficked ‘middle mile’ range.”
Harbour Airlines operates 30,000 flights each year on 12 routes between Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria and other destinations in the region.
With files from the Canadian Press.
