Electric Planes Coming Sooner Than You Think

Electric planes were once thought to be a futuristic pipe-dream, however, they will become part of mainstream air travel sooner than you think.

Airlines have always been so dependent on the price of oil, but if we switch to electric planes, they will be less susceptible to changes in fuel prices. Electric planes have been in development for more than a decade now, but they’re finally reaching an age where they could be practical for commercial use.

What is an Electric Plane?

Electric planes are not to be confused with their gas-powered counterparts and are instead powered by batteries or fuel cells that power the electric motors. They offer a variety of benefits over gas-powered planes, such as reduced noise pollution, zero emissions at take-off and landing, and much longer flight times.

Benefits of Electric Planes

Electric planes have several advantages over gas-powered planes such as:

1. They’re quieter and much cheaper to operate, with no need for oil changes or fickle jet engine parts.
2. Since electric planes are powered by electricity, the engines are quieter and they don’t produce greenhouse gases as traditional aircraft do. They also don’t use a propeller which means less noise pollution for the environment in general.
3. Traditional aircraft create so much turbulence that it causes them to have an unpleasant ride for passengers. However, electric planes produce very little turbulence which means it gives passengers a smoother ride and a better experience overall.
4. Airports will also be able to take advantage of this technology because it will lower their operating costs due to electric planes being more efficient in terms of fuel consumption.

The only downside for the passengers is that the battery life in these planes would be much shorter than traditional planes. However, that may not be a downside at all since it could mean cheaper and more frequent flights for passengers.

Currently, research is being undertaken into what it would take to make them mainstream, including estimates of when the first flight may occur.

Wendover created a very interesting video making the case for electric planes to go mainstream. Definitely worth check it out above!