NASA unveils its first all-electric airplane
NASA, most prominent for its many Florida-launched exploits into space, showcased an early version of its first all-electric experimental aircraft, the X-57 “Maxwell,” on Friday, Reuters reported.
Adapted from an Italian-made Tecnam P2006T twin-engine propeller plane, the X-57 has been under development since 2015 and remains at least a year away from its first test flight in the skies over Edward Air Force Base.
But after attaching the two largest of 14 electric motors that will ultimately propel the plane — powered by specially designed lithium-ion batteries — NASA deemed the Maxwell ready for its first public preview.
It is noted that the Maxwell will be the agency’s first crewed X-plane to be developed in two decades.
While private companies have been developing all-electric planes and hover-craft for years, NASA’s X-57 venture is aimed at designing and proving technology according to standards that commercial manufacturers can adapt for government certification.