EasyJet Says Electric Airplane Service Could Begin Within A Decade

Airplanes emit large amounts of carbon dioxide and they put it high into the atmosphere where it can’t be absorbed easily by the world’s forests and oceans. Globally, airplanes contribute significantly to the total emissions created by the transportation sector. An electric airplane would keep all those emissions out of the skies but the technology isn’t quite there yet except for certain experimental aircraft being tested by NASA and short range oddities that are little more than drones scaled up to fly one or two people short distances.

Wright Electric has been working on a real electric airplane, one that can carry up to 120 passengers on flights of 300 miles or less. Such short hops make up 30% of all flights in Europe and in many other specialized markets such as Hawaii, where jumping from island to island is a regular part of everyday life.

EasyJet is a European airline that specializes in short range journeys such as London to Paris. It announced recently that is it working closely with Wright Electric and expects to begin electric airplane passenger service within a decade. EasyJet CEO Carolyn McCall, says the aerospace industry will soon follow the lead of the automotive industry in developing an electric airplane that will cut emissions and noise.

“For the first time in my career I can envisage a future without jet fuel and we are excited to be part of it,” she said. “It is now more a matter of when, not if, a short haul electric plane will fly.”

EasyJet’s executive Peter Duffy, says working with Wright Electric will help both companies understand what is required to make an electric airplane suitable for commercial use by focusing on such things as maintenance and revenue management. “You’re seeing cities and countries starting to talk about banning diesel combustion engines. That would have been unthinkable just a short time ago,” Duffy says. “As technology moves on, attitudes shift, ambitions change, and you see opportunities you didn’t see. This is genuinely exciting.”

Wright Electric claims an electric airplane will  be 50% quieter and cost 10% less for airlines to purchase and operate. The key to their plan is to mount the batteries for the planes inside conventional aircraft shipping containers so they can be easily swapped out a and replaced with fully charged units as needed.

An electric airplane for commercial service is not possible today because the batteries available are too heavy. But Wright and EasyJet are anticipating improvements in battery technology will make the batteries they need possible within ten years. Based on the steady flow of news about breakthroughs in laboratories around the world, they may well be right.

Source: The Guardian

Wright Electric Planning Short Haul Electric Airplane Within Ten Years

Wright Electric, a start-up supported by Y Combinator, says it is working on building an electric airplane that can fly 150 passengers up to 300 miles. Its goal is to have the airplanes in the air within 10 years. It has already attracted interest from an established airline. EasyJet, a low cost British air travel company tells the BBC it “has had discussions with Wright Electric and is actively providing an airline operator’s perspective on the development of this exciting technology.”

An electric airplane has several advantages over traditional aircraft. First and foremost, it doesn’t spew carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere while in flight. Second, it will be quieter than a conventional airplane. But we know in the era of Trumponmics that the only consideration is cost — the environment be damned. And that’s where the Wright Electric proposal really shines. The cost of electricity should be significantly less than the cost of jet fuel. That would allow the price of plane tickets to drop substantially.

With a range of 300 miles, the Wright Electric airplane would be capable of serving 30% of all commercial airline routes in the world. But where will it get the power to stay aloft and how long will it take to recharge the batteries after each flight? That part’s easy. The company says the batteries will be fitted to conventional airline shipping containers. They will be charged on the ground and simply swapped in and out as needed.

“The way we’ve designed our plane is to have modular battery packs for quick swap using the same cargo container that’s in a regular airplane,” says Jeff Engler, co-founder of Wright Electric. “We want it to be as fast as possible, so airlines can keep their planes in the air as long as possible and cover their costs.”

Some of this is wishful thinking at this point. It all depends on battery technology continuing to improve at its current rate. There are no batteries today that are small enough and powerful enough to keep such an electric airplane in the air long enough to be commercially viable. But Wright Electric is going ahead with the design of the aircraft while it waits for new developments to provide the batteries it will need. The company is working with Chip Yates, the American inventor who currently holds the record for the world’s fastest electric airplane.

Other companies are exploring electric aircraft including Airbus. Siemens is testing a new electric motor that is lighter and 5 times more powerful than normal. Is the era of electric flight upon us? Not quite yet, but it is coming. The electric airplane isn’t a reality yet, but the technology to make it happen is ready to go. All that remains is for battery technology to catch up. John Goodenough may have something to do with when that happens.

Source: BBC