Electric Planes Offer the Promise of a Better, Cooler World: As both technology and the climate fight become grimmer, it’s good to remember that innovation can still drive hope and make the world a nicer place.
by thenewrepublic
Electric Planes Offer the Promise of a Better, Cooler World: As both technology and the climate fight become grimmer, it’s good to remember that innovation can still drive hope and make the world a nicer place.
by thenewrepublic
9 comments
The news that we could soon fly electric is exciting for the eventual carbon impact alone. Conventional aviation, in 2022, emitted almost 800 million tons of carbon—about two percent of total global energy-related emissions.
Or ya know, high speed electric trains.
The possibility of technological change is evoked to guarantee that the social and political-economic transformation is not acted on.
Electric planes won’t work until we figure out how to store more electricity with less added weight. Weight is everything for air craft. Until we have a doubling in battery density, hydrogen or synthetic fuel remain the only viable option for zero carbon long haul aircraft travel.
I came to the conclusion long ago that the only way to really make an impact would be if humans greatly reduced their consumption of just about everything. That would require changing our perceptions about what a successful life looks like..and people’s expectations about what they ‘need’ to be happy. I need only think of how many asshats are driving giant trucks and SUVs they don’t need for any reason, to realize it’s just not going to happen. It seems to me that almost every sustainable option we turn to, simply creates different waste or pollution. It’s not as though there is an infinite supply of lithium. Much of it is being mined by third world countries in inhumane conditions, and many of the batteries made from it will end up in landfill somewhere. We need to consume less, buy less, and travel less. But heaven forbid the economy be adversely affected.
Removing the aerosols planes produce by replacing them with electric planes won’t offer a cooler World. It will be warmer.
The biggest problem with electric planes right now is the weight and battery duration. I’m in the process of building an airplane that also has been built as electric. The big difference is the battery operated one can run for up to an hour. Mine with the ICE can run up to 6 hours and still be within the safe range. And that’s small General Aviation. Once you get into the jet side of things batteries won’t be able to touch that for decades.
I wish our leaders…or the people would grab ahold of this and run with it.
I’ve been waiting for that to happen for….more than 30 years?
Grim and Nicer do NOT belong in the same sentence. I detect a Freudian slip there 🙂