(AEV) NASA'S X-57 MAXWELL READY TO FLY

Say hello to NASA's X-57 Maxwell, named after the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell. It's a sustainably fueled, ultra-low-emission electric transport plane we bet nobody saw coming.

The fact it exists at all may be somewhat of a newsflash for those who don't follow EVs closely. With its first test flight due to take place any day now, let's take a deep dive into the light EV cargo plane promising zero-emission aviation like never before.

For clarity's sake, the idea of an electrically powered aircraft is actually older than the advent of heavier-than-air powered flight itself. Check out our in-depth feature showing all the crazy requirements an EV aircraft has to meet before it can even lift off the ground if you want to learn more.

But what this meant for NASA was simple. Perhaps it's best to start with an existing airframe and retrofit it with electric motors instead of futzing around with an entirely new design. We're sure American taxpayers and NASA's accountants agree with that decision.

It's a design that's been due to be tested under the Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology (LEAPTech) initiative first unveiled by NASA in 2014. The derivative aircraft in question is not American in origin but rather Italian. A twin-engined Tencam 2006T. Autoevolution - link - Benny Kirk - link - more like this - link