Not long ago everybody was saying that electric aviation is unfeasible for anything more than the smallest private planes because of weight-to-power limitations of batteries and electric engines.

Maybe not. Cape Air, an independent regional airline that flies to serving 35 cities in New England and the Caribbean, has a “double-digit option” to purchase a nine-passenger electric airplane from an Israeli startup called Eviation.

Eviation says it is conducting test flights pursuing certification, with a goal of shipping the aircraft to carriers for commercial use in 2022. (UPDATE: A reader comment points us to this article about the project, which includes a startling statistic: ” Eviation’s Alice plane would have a maximum takeoff weight of 14,000 pounds. The battery weighs 7,000 pounds.”)

Presumably the plane would be used for their shortest flights, between the mainland and Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard. Here’s a story from the Cape Cod Times, which includes this item:

Integration of the Alice aircraft into its fleet will require an infrastructure investment for Cape Air, including proper charging capacity equipment and specialized maintenance and support needs for the new technology.
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Eliminating fuel costs likely will provide a significant cost savings to the airline and the flying public.