Arlington, Washington-based Eviation Aircraft, developer of the all-electric Alice commuter plane, has laid off most of its employees and paused development after failing to secure new funding. The company, founded in Israel in 2015 and majority-owned by Singapore’s Clermont Group, conducted its sole battery-powered test flight of Alice from Moses Lake, Washington, in September 2022.
Eviation CEO Andre Stein stated in an email, “a temporary pause was necessary in order to focus on ‘identifying the right long-term partnerships to help us make electric commercial regional flight a reality.’ We at Eviation are proud of what we have accomplished in advancing electric flight. This decision was not made lightly.” Staff numbers had dwindled from about 120 at first flight to 64 as of last month, before recent cuts left most of the engineering team gone.
Alice, named after “Alice in Wonderland” and Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” features a carbon composite airframe, twin magniX electric motors in tractor configuration, and Honeywell flight controls. Redesigned post-flight with a conventional fuselage replacing the original elliptical shape for better manufacturability, it targets nine passengers over 290 miles or a cargo variant, powered by an 820 kWh lithium-ion battery comprising 60 percent of its 6,350 kg maximum takeoff weight. Certification timelines have slipped from 2025 prototypes to around 2028.
Eviation reports over 600 orders worth more than $5 billion from customers including Air New Zealand, Cape Air, and DHL, with service entry previously eyed for 2027. Clermont Group affirmed its commitment, stating it “will continue to seek long-term strategic partners who share our vision.” Operations at Arlington Airport have effectively ceased as the search continues.