London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
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Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#2I'm not at the forefront of this field so maybe I missed some great advances in battery technology or airplane efficiency, but how could this possible work when the energy density of a battery (.3-.9 MJ/kg) is 50x less than that of jet fuel (46 MJ/kg)[1]? Or is that simply enough for (very) short haul flights?
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#3I'm not at the forefront of this field so maybe I missed some great advances in battery technology or airplane efficiency, but how could this possible work when the energy density of a battery (.3-.9 MJ/kg) is 50x less than that of jet fuel (46 MJ/kg)[1]? Or is that simply enough for (very) short haul flights? [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density
FTA: "The company is relying heavily on innovation in battery technology continuing to improve at its current rate. If not, the firm will not be able to build in enough power to give the plane the range it needs."
So, it presumably can't work now but they're putting their money on the idea that it will in the near future.
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#4>A new start-up says that it intends to offer an electric-powered commercial flight from London to Paris in 10 years.
There is no way a startup without any experience in aviation will design, build, certify and sell a commercial 150-seat airplane in 10 years. Not even mention the immense R&D groundwork required to even prove the concept of using batteries to power short haul flights.
Why do they put out bullshit like this? It just hurts their credibility.
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#5>A new start-up says that it intends to offer an electric-powered commercial flight from London to Paris in 10 years. There is no way a startup without any experience in aviation will design, build, certify and sell a commercial 150-seat airplane in 10 years. Not even mention the immense R&D groundwork required to even prove the concept of using batteries to power short haul flights. Why do they put out bullshit like…
SpaceX? I realise that the world has very few Musks about, but it is possible; highly unlikely but it is possible.
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#6>A new start-up says that it intends to offer an electric-powered commercial flight from London to Paris in 10 years. There is no way a startup without any experience in aviation will design, build, certify and sell a commercial 150-seat airplane in 10 years. Not even mention the immense R&D groundwork required to even prove the concept of using batteries to power short haul flights. Why do they put out bullshit like…
Magical thinking is a very effective VC cash magnet, especially when you have entered the "fear of missing out" stage.
Uber is a company that has a 60 Billion dollar valuation contingent on the idea that it will somehow both develop driverless cars, and maintain a monopoly on them (dispite having zero expertise in this area whatsoever, and competing against entire industries that do) before they run out of money losing 2 Billion+ a year.
Theranos had promises of technology that was not physically possible, and they knew it. Yet the billions still poured in.
Magical thinking is powerful.
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#7>A new start-up says that it intends to offer an electric-powered commercial flight from London to Paris in 10 years. There is no way a startup without any experience in aviation will design, build, certify and sell a commercial 150-seat airplane in 10 years. Not even mention the immense R&D groundwork required to even prove the concept of using batteries to power short haul flights. Why do they put out bullshit like…
Normally I'd agree with you but seeing that SpaceX was able to go from zero to sending stuff into orbit in a decade, building a plane in that same time period doesn't seem totally unreasonable.
I'd be more concerned with the realities of battery technology not being ready and existing regulations/testing stretching the timetable v.s. pure technical ability of a team to design something that would be fit for purpose.
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#8I'm not at the forefront of this field so maybe I missed some great advances in battery technology or airplane efficiency, but how could this possible work when the energy density of a battery (.3-.9 MJ/kg) is 50x less than that of jet fuel (46 MJ/kg)[1]? Or is that simply enough for (very) short haul flights? [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density
The equation isn't just energy density; it's also the efficiency of harnessing that energy. Good electric motors are way more efficient than a turbofan.
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#9>A new start-up says that it intends to offer an electric-powered commercial flight from London to Paris in 10 years. There is no way a startup without any experience in aviation will design, build, certify and sell a commercial 150-seat airplane in 10 years. Not even mention the immense R&D groundwork required to even prove the concept of using batteries to power short haul flights. Why do they put out bullshit like…
SpaceX did more than that in 10 years.
Improbable? yes Impossible? no.
Re: London-Paris electric flight 'in decade'
#10What's the point if you can just take an electric train? Isn't it basically 'a flight' on rails?
They should have chosen a better city pair.