OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The Canadian airline Harbour Air built a fully electric seaplane, which it calls the eBeaver. The plane is on display at the seaplane base at EAA Airventure this week, but it's not able to fly here due to a lack of FAA clearance.
- Harbour Air believes it is the only fully electric seaplane currently flying in the world
- The plane's range is limited, as the company expects it to be used for 30 minute trips
- A Harbour Air team shipped the plane to EAA to showcase its innovation, and is working with the FAA in hopes of flying it in the United States at some point
- Video shows the eBeaver in flight in Canada
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
The energy here is much different than the hustle and bustle over at Wittman Regional Airport — we're at the EAA seaplane base, and one plane in particular is different from all the others here at the harbor, in one key way.
Most of the seaplanes here sounds something like this, but not Harbour Air's eBeaver.
Erica engineered it, and Shawn flies it — they say it's the only fully electric seaplane in the world.
It's not FAA certified to fly in the USA, but it's already made 89 flights in Vancouver, Canada.
"We think we're there now with this," pilot Shawn Braiden said. "We hope to get this thing certified in 2026. When we get it all up and running, we plan or hope to be at six passengers, be able to do a 30-minute tour, and then come back to the dock and be able to charge in 30 minutes."
For an innovative prototype seaplane like this e-plane, there was no better place than EAA to showcase their work.
"It's airplane nirvana," said Erica Holtz, Harbour Air's engineering and quality manager. "It's been incredible for the team to be able to show what we are doing, but also to see what everyone else is doing in this sector — so it's been fantastic."
Shawn and Erica say they're still looking for that FAA clearance, but they have plenty of flights waiting for them when they get back to Canada.
