NASA, best known for its many Florida-launched forays into space, showcased an early version of its first all-electric experimental aircraft, the X-57 Maxwell, on Friday at its lesser-known aeronautics lab in the California desert.
Adapted from an Italian-made Tecnam P2006T twin-engine propeller plane, the X-57 has been under development since 2015 and remains at least a year away from its first test flight in the skies over Edward Air Force Base.
After attaching the two largest of 14 electric motors that will ultimately propel the plane — powered by specially designed lithium-ion batteries — NASA deemed the Maxwell ready for its first public preview.