The cabin is lit by LED lights along the aisle and there are LED reading
lights above every seat. There are no tables, galley or IFE, beyond what
passengers can watch on their own mobile devices.
The nine 32in (81cm)-pitch seats can recline and rotate towards
the aisle and back, have Italian leather upholstery, an adjustable headrest,
and a “lightweight structure,” according to Ziman. “The Eviation team
is co-operating with leading manufacturers and designers to develop the
ultimate seat for Alice,” he says. He expects the final seat configuration
to allow seat position adjustment either manually or with power.
The Paris prototype’s cabin had wireless smartphone chargers next
to every seat, so passengers can recharge their phones in flight.
Connectivity will also be on offer. “Eviation will provide an onboard
wi-fi option to all Alice operators,” says Ziman.
ELECTROCHROMIC SHADES
The windows will be electrochromic, which will enable them to be
darkened or lightened at the touch of a button. “Alice’s exceptional
size and shape windows will feature an electrochromic shade
system that will maintain the feeling of openness all along
the flight,” says Ziman.
However, the interior seen in the Alice prototype
at Paris may not be the final configuration. Ziman
explains that the design team is going to work
closely with Alice operators to define their interior
requirements and implement it, “in the best way,
to keep the clean and modern look and feel”. He
also claims that Alice’s “unique fuselage shape
increases the feeling of cabin space”. Because the
aircraft’s propulsion is electric, Eviation also claims
that there is far less noise.
At the 2019 Paris Air Show, Bar-Yohay explained
that Alice’s range and cruise speed was dependent on
the slender wing, light construction and overall
“ Executive customers
can choose all the features,
materials and colours”
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
044 OCTOBER 2019
The FAA’s Part 23
rule was redrafted in
2016 to reduce the
cost of general
aviation aircraft
development
aerodynamic design,
which was only possible
with electric power.
“It is not possible with
a reciprocating internal
combustion piston engine because
of the vibration they cause,” he said.
Using existing lithium-ion technology,
the 900kWh battery is 3,727kg (8,200 lb),
which Bar-Yohay says is 60% of the takeoff
weight. In the prototype, that battery
powers three 260kW electric motors made
by Magnix. Those electric motors drive
the propellers at the two ends of the wing
and at the tail. Siemens is another motor
provider and it has been working with
Eviation since 2015. Both Magnix and
Siemens are to go through the certification
process with the FAA. The propellers the
motors turn are made of carbon fibre,
pitch controlled and made by the
same company that made the
propellers for the Wright brothers’
epoch-making Flyer.
EXECUTIVE VERSION
Eviation also plans to offer a
private/general aviation version –
the Alice Executive 2024
programme. Ziman says customers
will be able to pre-order this soon.
“Executive customers will have the
opportunity to be involved in the custom
interior design process and can choose all
the features, materials and colours for
their all-electric aircraft cabin,” he says.
The electric aircraft’s interior is clearly
constrained by what the battery is capable
of, but it will be interesting to see what
future developments enable.
ABOVE LEFT: EVIATION IS STILL TO
DECIDE IF SEAT ADJUSTMENTS WILL
BE POWERED OR MANUAL
ABOVE RIGHT: THE AIRCRAFT IS SET
UP FOR TWO-PILOT OPERATIONS
BELOW: A FULL-SIZE MOCK-UP OF
ALICE WAS DISPLAYED AT THE 2019
PARIS AIR SHOW
EV I ATION A L ICE
/businessjetinteriorsinternational.com