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Electric planes might seem futuristic, but they aren't that far off, at least for short hops:
Two-seater Velis Electros are already quietly buzzing around Europe, electric sea planes are being tested in British Columbia, and larger planes are coming. Air Canada announced on Sept. 15, 2022, that it would buy 30 electric-hybrid regional aircraft from Sweden's Heart Aerospace, which expects to have its 30-seat plane in service by 2028. Analysts at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab note that the first hybrid electric 50- to 70-seat commuter plane could be ready not long after that. In the 2030s, they say, electric aviation could really take off.
[...] Aircraft are some of the most complex vehicles out there, but the biggest problem for electrifying them is the battery weight.
[...] Jet fuel can hold about 50 times more energy compared to batteries per unit mass. So, you can have 1 pound of jet fuel or 50 pounds of batteries. To close that gap, we need to either make lithium-ion batteries lighter or develop new batteries that hold more energy. New batteries are being developed, but they aren't yet ready for aircraft.
An electric alternative is hybrids.
[...] Using batteries as a power assist during takeoff and climb are very promising options. Taxiing to the runway using just electric power could also save a significant amount of fuel and reduce the local emissions at airports. There is a sweet spot between the added weight of the battery and how much electricity you can use to get net fuel benefits. This optimization problem is at the center of my research.
Hybrids would still burn fuel during flight, but it could be considerably less than just relying entirely on jet fuel.
I see hybridization as a mid-term option for larger jets, but a near-term solution for regional aircraft.
[...] With electric hybrids, airlines could also make more use of regional airports, reducing congestion and time larger planes spend idling on the runway.
Included explanatory video about hybrid planes
Previously:
This Is What's Keeping Electric Planes From Taking Off
United Airlines to Buy 100, 19-Seat Electric Planes from Heart Aerospace
Australia's First Electric Passenger Plane Takes To The Skies
New Hybrid Plane Will Add Second Electric Engine As Battery Costs Drop
(Score: 2) by Snospar on Tuesday September 27 2022, @04:09PM (5 children)
I'd have thought fully electric blimps would be an even greener option and you remove the problems with landing gear and landing speeds. As we're talking short-hop regional flights here the added advantage of not requiring huge long runways is another plus.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 27 2022, @08:00PM (1 child)
Blimps were all the rage five or ten years ago. What happened to that, I wonder? Amazon was going to build them, some heavy lift company in Germany was going to build them. Now you don't hear anything about them.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 28 2022, @01:44PM
They're still chugging along. I subscribe to a couple channels on YouTube that track their progress. Airlander is one of the companies that have been active recently. They had a mishap a couple years ago with a test flight that slightly damaged one of their ships; they corrected the issue but getting everything tested and certified seems to be an agonizingly slow process.
I believe there is a bright future for airships for passengers, freight, and other uses. Passengers can take sky cruises. Freight can go point-to-point without suffering the piracy and geographical choke points that container ships do. And airships can dwell in-theater as observations and communications centers in ways that other aircraft can't. You could even employ them as mobile hospitals that can land on-site and deal with outbreaks or other medical crises in locations that aren't very accessible via ground or sea.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 27 2022, @11:37PM (2 children)
> fully electric blimps
Might have posted this here before. I was fortunate to get a Goodyear blimp ride, about 25 years ago, over LA. Spectacular view of the city because we cruised at 35 mph (50 kph). That was also nearly the top speed. Interestingly, it was also the climbing speed and the descending speed. Since the blimp is neutrally buoyant, there isn't any effort spent on going up (or any to be reclaimed when going down).
35 mph might be faster than the 405 during "freeway parking lot" hours in LA, but for other routes, driving will be faster.
If you are talking about rigid airships, like Zeppelins, they go somewhat faster, but still leisurely compared to commercial short hop turboprop planes.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 28 2022, @01:36PM (1 child)
That's cool. How was the ride?
I have often thought that airships would be great for sightseeing, especially if they're able to employ quiet propulsion. Balloon rides are popular in places like Cappadocia, but of course they're at the mercy of the wind.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 29 2022, @01:54AM
The blimp ride was very smooth, it was late afternoon and very calm on the ground. However, it wasn't quiet--there were two IC engines running near full throttle all the time to maintain 35 mph flying speed. Not exactly sure but I believe these were flat-6 Continentals, like used in a number of small "general aviation" aircraft perhaps about 200 hp each?
My friend and I were the only passengers this time, so we could walk around and look down from any of the slanted side windows. Also spent quite a bit of time talking with the captain and co-pilot. One of the more interesting things they had done was teach top level engineering test pilots (Air Force and Navy) how to fly the blimp--to widen the scope of test pilot education.
As noted above, the really fun bit was when the pilot stood the blimp on its tail or on its nose (climbing or descending). The airspeed sat right at 35 mph.