Senator Cantwell highlights successful electric airplane test, cleaner air travel
SPOKANE, Wash. — Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) highlighted the need to invest in electric aircraft and alternative sustainable fuel sources in order to make commuter air travel cleaner, more affordable and more accessible.
Cantwell testified before the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, as well as aviation industry leaders on Wednesday. The hearing comes a day after Washington aerospace company Eviation launched its first-ever test flight for “Alice,” a nine-seater all-electric commuter airplane prototype, in Moses Lake.
READ: Prototype electric airplane takes first flight
“Yesterday’s historic test flight and today’s hearing demonstrate it’s possible electric aircraft can become the new standard for regional travel, opening new opportunities for sustainability and connectivity,” Cantwell said.
Cantwell emphasized how expanding electric air travel could prove transformative in communities without a major airport, especially for shorter commuter flights. Currently, half of all flights in the U.S. are less than 500 miles, she pointed out.
“These new opportunities for places like Seattle to Walla Walla, or maybe Spokane to Missoula, or Moses Lake to parts of Oregon or California, are now the kinds of things that will be more economical with these kinds of flights,” Cantwell said. “Electric planes can connect regional communities in ways previously not possible.”
Eviation CEO Greg Davis also testified before the subcommittee. During the Q&A portion, Sen. Cantwell said that electric airplanes like Alice seem “like a game changer” for the future of air travel in Washington state.
“Particularly with the airlines, and even with the expansion of (Everett’s) Paine Field … The notion that Walla Walla that’s constantly short changed — you know, very big and growing wine region of our country. But one flight a day or two flights a day, you can change that. And you could have people going five or six flights a day. Now, it’s all economical. So you’re changing the dynamics of a rural economy,” Sen. Cantwell said.
“I thank you very much for your words about changing the industry, changing the world,” said Eviation CEO Greg Davis. “That’s exactly how we see it. It’s a very easy game to play to think, where are you right now? And could you find nine people or eight other people who wanted to go 200 or 300 miles away right now? And for Moses Lake to Walla Walla, or to Paine Field as you’ve just said, those are routes that we will be able to do as the aircraft enters into service. So certainly, the applications and the capability of the technology that goes into the aircraft will allow those routes to expand, and only further improve our capability to transform regional air travel.”
You can view the full hearing here.
READ: Sen. Cantwell visits Spokane, touts potential for tech growth
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
