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Norway tests two-seater electric plane

Passenger flights could start in 2025.

Marrian Zhou Staff Reporter
Marrian Zhou is a Beijing-born Californian living in New York City. She joined CNET as a staff reporter upon graduation from Columbia Journalism School. When Marrian is not reporting, she is probably binge watching, playing saxophone or eating hot pot.
Marrian Zhou
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Norway's first electric aircraft took off on Monday.

Avinor

E-planes might come sooner than we thought.

Avinor, Norway's state-run aviation company, tested its two-seater electric plane on Monday and said passenger flights could start by 2025, reported Reuters. The two passengers in Monday's test were Norway's transport minister, Ketil Solvik-Olsen, and Avinor CEO Dag Falk-Petersen. The flight around Oslo airport lasted only a few minutes, Reuters said.

"By introducing Norway's first electric aircraft, we will be demonstrating that this is not a far-off vision of the future but a reality achievable within a few years," Solvik-Olsen said in a release.

The Norwegian government reportedly plans to make all domestic flights electric by 2040.

A few companies, including Boeing, Airbus, Wright Electric and Eviation Aircraft, have announced electric aircraft prototypes they hope to ready in the next few years.

Avinor didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.