Molly Ayala
The history of electric aircraft goes back to the 19th century, with crewed flights in an electrically powered airship and a tethered helicopter. The first crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane, the MB-E1, was in 1973. The world's first fully electric commercial aircraft took its inaugural test flight in 2019, and the first all-electric passenger aircraft, Alice, took flight in 2022.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane | 1973 (MB-E1) |
| First serially produced self-launching, manned electric aircraft with EASA type certification | Lange E1 Antares (maiden flight in 1999) |
| First intercontinental flight by a solar aircraft | Solar Impulse (2012) |
| First all-electric commercial aircraft | Vancouver, Canada (2019) |
| First all-electric passenger aircraft | Alice (2022) |
| First electric-powered plane in North America | Alia CX300 (2025) |
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What You'll Learn
- The first all-electric passenger plane was Alice, in 2022
- The first crewed free flight by an electrically-powered plane was in 1973
- The first intercontinental flight by a solar aircraft was in 2012
- The first all-electric commercial aircraft flew in 2019
- The first electric-powered airship flew in the 19th century
The first all-electric passenger plane was Alice, in 2022
The history of electric flight goes back to the 19th century, with crewed flights in an electrically powered airship and a tethered helicopter. In the 1880s, French army officers Renard and Krebs gave a hydrogen-filled dirigible, La France, huge batteries and an 8-horsepower electric motor. This allowed the dirigible to return to its launch site, something no balloon had done before. The first crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane, the MB-E1, was made in 1973.
The first all-electric passenger plane was Alice, which took flight in 2022. The plane was developed by Israeli-founded company Eviation Aircraft and took off from Washington's Grant County International Airport. Alice is powered by battery technology similar to that of an electric car or cell phone. It can carry nine passengers and two crew members, with a range of 150 to 250 miles. The batteries take 30 minutes to recharge after 1-2 hours of use.
Alice's development faced several delays, including executive turnover and weather issues that hindered testing progress. Despite these challenges, the plane's successful flight marked a significant milestone in the history of electric aviation.
The aviation industry is one of the fastest-growing sources of carbon emissions, and the development of electric aircraft is seen as a step towards more environmentally friendly flying. Electric planes are expected to bring significant cost savings for airlines and reduce emissions to zero. With further advancements in battery technology, electric motors will eventually power longer flights.
As of 2025, the first-ever passenger flight of an electric-powered plane in North America has landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The plane, Alia CX300, was piloted by Kyle Clark, the founder and CEO of BETA Technologies. The plane can take off vertically like a helicopter or horizontally like a conventional plane and seats five people—a pilot and four passengers.
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The first crewed free flight by an electrically-powered plane was in 1973
The history of electric flight goes back to the 1880s when French army officers Renard and Krebs powered a hydrogen-filled dirigible, La France, with an 8-horsepower electric motor. This enabled the aircraft to return to its launch site, something no balloon had done before. The first crewed free flight by an electrically-powered plane, the MB-E1, was made in 1973.
In the early 1970s, Robert Boucher built a couple of solar-powered aircraft under contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In 1979, Boucher's company AstroFlight supplied a five-horsepower motor for the Solar Challenger, which had no batteries and instead collected sufficient energy from sunlight to take off, climb to 14,000 feet, and cruise at 40 mph.
In 2011, the AgustaWestland Project Zero performed the world's first large-scale all-electric tilt-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle technology demonstration flights. The first intercontinental flight by a solar aircraft was completed in 2012 by Solar Impulse, flying from Madrid, Spain to Rabat, Morocco. The Solar Impulse 2 improved upon the original, carrying more solar cells and more powerful motors, and completed the first circumnavigation of the world by a solar-powered aircraft between 2015 and 2016.
The world's first fully electric commercial aircraft took its inaugural test flight in 2019, taking off from Vancouver, Canada, and flying for 15 minutes. The e-plane was a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane retrofitted with a 750hp electric motor. The world's first all-electric passenger aircraft, Alice, successfully took to the sky in 2022. The zero-emission plane flew at an altitude of 3,500 feet for eight minutes.
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The first intercontinental flight by a solar aircraft was in 2012
The history of electric aircraft goes back to the 19th century, with crewed flights in an electrically powered airship and a tethered helicopter in 1880 and 1917, respectively. The first crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane, the MB-E1, occurred in 1973. The world's first all-electric passenger aircraft, the Alice, took flight in 2022.
The Solar Impulse project, led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist Bertrand Piccard, aimed to make the first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power. The prototype, Solar Impulse 1, conducted its first test flight in December 2009 and made history in July 2010 by becoming the first manned solar-powered plane to operate a 26-hour non-stop flight.
In 2012, Solar Impulse 1 made the first intercontinental flight by a solar aircraft, flying from Madrid, Spain to Rabat, Morocco. This flight broke several records, including the longest solar-powered flight between pre-declared waypoints, covering a total distance of 693 miles. The aircraft took off from Madrid at 05:22 local time on June 5, 2012, climbing to a height of 11,800 feet. It then headed towards Seville, crossing over the Straits of Gibraltar at 27,800 feet and entering Moroccan airspace over Tangiers. Solar Impulse continued south, landing at Rabat–Salé Airport just before midnight.
Solar Impulse 2, an improved version of Solar Impulse 1, was completed in 2014 and featured more solar cells and more powerful motors. On March 9, 2015, Solar Impulse 2 departed on a round-the-world trip from Abu Dhabi, returning to the United Arab Emirates on July 26, 2016, after flying approximately 42,000 km (26,000 miles).
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The first all-electric commercial aircraft flew in 2019
The history of electric aircraft goes back to the 19th century, with crewed flights in an electrically powered airship and a tethered helicopter. In 1917, the first large-scale electric-powered helicopter, the Austro-Hungarian Petróczy-Kármán-Žurovec PKZ-1, was flown. The first crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane, the MB-E1, was made in 1973.
In 2019, the world's first fully electric commercial aircraft took flight in Canada. The e-plane was a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane retrofitted with a 750-hp electric motor. The flight lasted less than 15 minutes.
The first all-electric passenger aircraft, Eviation Aircraft's Alice plane, took flight in 2022. The plane travelled at an altitude of 3,500 feet for eight minutes. Alice can carry nine passengers and fly for one to two hours.
In 2025, the first-ever passenger flight of an electric-powered plane in North America landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Alia CX300, piloted by Kyle Clark, the founder and CEO of BETA Technologies, flew for 45 minutes, covering 72 nautical miles.
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$30.2 $39.95
The first electric-powered airship flew in the 19th century
The history of electric flying goes back to the 19th century, with the first electric-powered airship taking to the skies in that era. In the 1880s, French Army officers Renard and Krebs equipped a hydrogen-filled dirigible, La France, with huge batteries and an 8-horsepower electric motor. This innovative combination allowed the airship to return to its launch site, a feat that no balloon had achieved before. This early experiment in electric aviation demonstrated the potential for electric power in flight, paving the way for future developments in the field.
The quest for more practical aerial solutions than clumsy balloons led to another significant milestone in electric aviation during the same century. In 1917, the Austro-Hungarian Petróczy-Kármán-Žurovec PKZ-1 electric-powered helicopter took flight. This helicopter featured a specially designed 140-kilowatt electric motor, showcasing the advancements in electric propulsion. However, the limitations of electric motors at the time prevented its long-term success, as the motor burned out after only a few flights.
The journey towards electric aviation continued to progress, and in 1973, the first crewed free flight by an electrically powered aeroplane, the MB-E1, was achieved. Despite this breakthrough, most crewed electric aircraft today remain experimental prototypes. The Lange E1 Antares, which completed its maiden flight in 1999, stands out as the world's first serially produced self-launching, manned electric aircraft with EASA type certification.
In recent years, significant strides have been made in the realm of electric aviation. In 2019, the world witnessed the inaugural test flight of the first fully electric commercial aircraft in Vancouver, Canada. This e-plane, a retrofitted DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane, marked a pivotal moment in the shift towards more environmentally friendly flying. The success of this flight ignited the spark for further exploration and development in electric aviation.
The Israeli-founded company Eviation Aircraft introduced the Alice, the world's first all-electric passenger aircraft, in 2022. With a range of 150 to 250 miles and a capacity of nine passengers and two crew members, Alice represents a significant milestone in electric aviation. The development of electric aircraft, such as Alice, underscores the potential for a more sustainable future in air travel, aligning with the goal of net-zero emissions from air transport by 2050.
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Frequently asked questions
The first crewed free flight by an electrically powered plane, the MB-E1, was in 1973. However, the world's first fully electric commercial aircraft took off from Vancouver, Canada, in 2019. The plane was a 62-year-old, six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane retrofitted with a 750hp electric motor.
The DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver seaplane was piloted by Greg McDougall, founder and chief executive of Harbour Air. The flight lasted less than 15 minutes. McDougall said that the electric plane was "like [a Beaver] on electric steroids".
The first all-electric passenger plane was Alice, made by the Israeli company Eviation Aircraft. Alice first took flight in September 2022 from Washington's Grant County International Airport. The plane travelled at an altitude of 3,500 feet for eight minutes.
