Electric Airplanes for Underdeveloped Countries

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Last Updated on: 22nd January 2025, 02:35 am

Electric airplanes are often expected to be the fun, exciting new era of the EV market. However, we’re yet to see many practical, commercially competitive applications of electric flight. But one might be popping out thanks to the Liaoning General Aviation Academy.

China has certified the Liaoning General Aviation Academy (LGAA)’s RX4E electric airplane, a four-seat electric aircraft, for commercial operation — and not just flight training, which has a lower bar. This electric airplane is going to be offered for sale internationally, and while it’s no Boeing 757, it does have some commercial opportunity.

The RX4E “will be marketed globally with a focus on short-haul flights in areas without good roads,” AVweb reports. It makes sense. There aren’t good road networks, you need to get around the region, so you use a small electric plane with low “fuel” costs.

“The manufacturer says the plane, which is about the size of Cessna 182 but with a much longer 45-foot wingspan, will have a 90-minute endurance with a range of about 160 miles and a cruise speed of about 120 knots.” So, like an electric car from a handful of years ago. Not great, but it’s a starting point — and remember, it’s to serve places without good road networks. Also, in a few more years, that range should get considerably longer.

The electric airplane will be sold by Volar Air Mobility, and the company announced that the certification was provided right at the end of December.

“We are pleased to share that the RX4E, a four-seater electric aircraft developed by the Liaoning General Aviation Academy (LGAA), has secured Type Certification (TC No.: 0095A) issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 29 Dec 2024. With this, the RX4E has become the World’s First electric aircraft certified under Part 23 regulations (commercial use),” Volar Air Mobility posted on LinkedIn.

“This milestone marks a new era for sustainable aviation, paving the way for commercialization of Electric Aircraft in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) market.“

Does it? Maybe. We’ll have to keep an eye on this one to see how far it goes. (Bad pun intended.)

The electric airplane might look like nothing special — unlike the countless electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft concepts and aircraft prototypes out there — but maybe that’s a good thing, eh? Maybe what’s needed is really just simple, cheap, small electric airplanes for regional transport. Maybe that’s how we start getting the benefits of electric aircraft — before graduating on to larger electric airplanes and fancier electric VTOL aircraft.

I’m especially curious where these regional markets without good road networks but with consumer demand for small planes are located. We’ll see (hopefully).