It's weird, recently a solar plane circumnavigated the globe, but got very little publicity.
You can't scale up solar power to an aircraft carrying significant passengers / cargo.
Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
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Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#22Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#23If you're interested in the electrification of flight check out this episode of Fully Charged:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1g1JrRRkY
Its kindof like a "roadster" for the sky.
I was really impressed by the contra-rotating prop opportunity that becomes possible because of how small electric engines are (for their power).
Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#24As a first step, they could make at least the take off and landing electric, that would help a lot with the noise and pollution around cities, i.e. where people live. I guess the batteries could be recharged during the flight for landing.
Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#25It’s just a question of the energy density of batteries vs. fuel. We need a couple more battery breakthroughs before we get a fully electric commercial airliner.
Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#26As a first step, they could make at least the take off and landing electric, that would help a lot with the noise and pollution around cities, i.e. where people live. I guess the batteries could be recharged during the flight for landing.
I remember reading one UK airline saved a huge amount of fuel just by towing their aircraft to the take off point rather than using the engines.
Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
Tectonics would like a word with you
You don't have to bolt it to the ground though!
At it's deepest point it's about 8.5km down, for every 10 m of depth you add one atmosphere of pressure ...
It would probably make more sense to go overland in the opposite direction, through Russia, Alaska and Canada.
Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#28For anyone not aware, YC grad Wright Electric is in this space:
Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#29Re: Airbus and Boeing are exploring the viability of electric planes
#30side note: a few companies are also bringing back zeppelin, so far for freight/cargon (10s of tons) but also but slow public transport. Hindenburg drama aside, I find them superbly peaceful.