China Has Built a Wild 10-Engine Electric Plane (3 Photos + 1 Video)
Meet the COMAC CE-25A. China's first full-scale electric passenger aircraft was spotted on an actual airfield for the very first time just a few days ago. 
The first thing that catches your eye is the wings. Engineers didn't hold back, packing in a whopping 10 electric motors—five embedded into each wing under shared cowlings. It looks a bit bizarre, but the reasoning is clear: if one, two, or even three engines fail mid-flight, passengers won't even notice. The plane will simply keep flying as if nothing happened. Chinese-style safety taken to the max.
It seats up to 19 passengers, complete with a pressurized cabin for high-altitude comfort. On a single charge, this battery on wings boasts a range of 400 kilometers and tops out at speeds of 400 km/h. 
Small two- or three-seater electric planes have been certified and flying in China for a while now. But this time, state-owned aerospace giant COMAC—the team behind the C919, China's rival to Airbus and the MC-21—has taken the reins. They've partnered with Shanghai University and battery behemoth CATL. By all accounts, the aircraft packs cutting-edge solid-state batteries; otherwise, getting a beast of this size airborne would be a pipe dream.
The funny thing is that just a couple of years ago, China was only showing off a plastic scale model of this marvel at airshows, drawing chuckles from aviation experts. Fast forward to today, and the prototype bearing tail number B-0EFH is already tearing down the runway, gearing up for full flight testing. It will likely get its official, full-blown unveiling at the Zhuhai Airshow.
Obviously, you won't be crossing the ocean in this thing. But as a whisper-quiet air shuttle between neighboring Chinese megacities—or a high-end VIP taxi for the wealthy—it's spot on.
