This article details news about the Alpha Electro G2, an electric plane built in Pipistrel, Slovenia. A Norwegian airport conducted initial tests and predicted when Norway will go “all electric” for its aircraft.
Electric car buzz is at all-time highs. Volvo will be all electric by 2020, and now there’s one more travel medium favoring electric power over petroleum-based products.
But this electric plane has origins dating back for years. In fact, the Alpha Electro isn’t Pipistrel’s only stab at an all-electric aircraft. There is also the ultra-sleek Taurus Electro G2 that features all kinds of technologically innovative goodies.
So how did the flight test in Norway go for the two-seat electric plane?
A Bold Prediction for a Worthy Cause
This video showcases the Pipistrel plane all the way back in 2015. The Alpha Electro was the first Light Sport Aircraft certified electric plane. Now, the Alpha Electro G2 offers improved performance as showcased in Oslo on June 18, 2018.
“This is … a first example that we are moving fast forward” toward environment-conscious aviation said Ketil Solvik-Olsen. As Transport Minister, Solvik-Olsen takes the matter very seriously. “We do have to make sure it is safe – people won’t fly if they don’t trust it.”
During the test flight, the two-seat Pipistrel plane succumbed to wind buffeting. Helicopters experience the same issues due to their light weights. The Alpha Electro G2 weighs about 1255 lbs. or 570 kg.
This video showcases the actual flight that took place. You can see that the head of the Avinor, Dag Falk-Petersen, also hopped on for this ride.
He and Solvik-Olsen noted that the plane was much quieter than those run on fossil fuels. Both suggested that Norway would go full electric by 2040. Given that Norway is among the largest in the adoption of electric cars, planes can’t be far behind.
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