Recently I’ve been quoted as saying that electric airplanes are limited by the length of the cord. Certainly for commercial or freight flights at this stage this is the case. However for personal aircraft, an inventor has modified a glider body with an electric engine…
But now the li-ion packs can push the plane to 70 mph for 90 minutes (which should get yout to and from work every morning, if you’re interested.) The plane charges overnight, and it takes about 70 cents of electricity to do so.
If you’re hoping I’ll retract my statement – don’t bother waiting. I’m still on the record stating that any commercial application of alternate energy sources for aircraft is many years away at best. This is an exciting invention, but doesn’t point to a solution to the troubles the world faces and the changes we are going to have to make as we adjust to less oil.
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If you enjoyed this post, why not try these ones:
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- And Just When I’d Left the Country
- Clothesline Sustainability
- Pre-paid Smart Home Energy Metering
Mike Thomas
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I recall seeing a diagram for a ‘hamster and methedrine engine’ in a Robert Crumb cartoon many years ago. I wonder if that is the answer? But seriously, there are some hopeful developments, particularly in battery technology – so electrickery may indeed be the way forward….