In just 10 years, airline fleets will begin flying electric aircraft, according to independent industry experts, CNN Travel reports.
Electric motors have already become the norm in the automotive industry. But the prospects for their use Independent experts are cautious about the use of electric propulsion for long-haul flights with large passenger loads. According to aviation industry expert Björn Fährm, electric commercial airliners are at least ten years away from flying.
The best electric batteries produce 40 times less energy per unit weight than jet fuel. Even with self-charging electric motors, an aircraft would have to carry very heavy batteries. "So heavy that it wouldn't be able to take off," says B. Farm.
Andreas Klockner, coordinator of the German Aerospace Center, adds that electric aircraft for 2-4 passengers currently exist. However, for longer-range and heavier aircraft, completely new ideas and solutions are needed.
However, some aircraft manufacturers have already achieved some success in creating fuel-free airliners. In 2015, Airbus's E-Fan aircraft, carrying a single pilot, crossed the English Channel using only an electric motor. In November 2017, Vahana announced it was ready to begin testing an unmanned electric aircraft designed to carry a single passenger or small cargo within a city.
The maiden flight of the Airbus City, a vertical takeoff aircraft capable of carrying up to four passengers, is scheduled for 2018. In Israel, development of the nine-passenger, all-electric Eviation, capable of covering ranges of 100 to 600 miles, is well underway. The X-57 experimental aircraft, which uses distributed propulsion provided by 14 electric motors integrated into the wings, is scheduled to make its first flight in early 2018.
Experts note that the development of electric aircraft is one of the points in a plan being implemented by countries around the world in response to climate change, with the prospect of use in the post-oil era.
Source: news.turizm.ru