08/14/2026
What in the world is this?!
During our most recent roadtrip we were introduced to one of Boeing’s current prototype electric cargo plane going through flight testing. Originally designed as a VTOL, the FAA didn’t like the design & Boeing reverted the design to just a pusher model. This all electric plane has a 1000lb cargo capacity designed for 2 pallets. Its max takeoff weight is over 6000lbs, & flight duration of 200 nautical miles or a little over 1hr of flight with two fully electric systems & two independent motors spinning a single propeller. The glide on this aircraft is 17:1 making this plane very suitable for gliding in the event of a complete engine failure. The batteries are liquid cooled so they can be charged quickly within 30 minutes at a fixed base charge station, or 2hrs from a box truck utilizing the trucks PTO system to power the cooling & charging system.
This aircraft is targeted for companies like UPS, Amazon, FedEx, & USPS. Instead of using turbine aircraft to run short hops, this plane can be flown for an estimated $5.00 of electricity for every 1hr of flight. The all composite structure and lack of a mechanical gas powered engine significantly reduces the maintenance cost to just the batteries, wheels/tires, & visual inspections.