Aircrafts have been around for a long time. The first aircraft was invented by the Wright brothers in 1903. Since then, many significant developments have been made to make aircraft more efficient and faster. The latest development in this regard is the electric aircraft. An electric aircraft is an aircraft that uses electricity to power its engines.
The development of electric aircrafts has been rapidly growing in the past couple of years. The technology that powers electric aircrafts has been developed over time, and it is improving as we speak. There are some companies that are developing their own brand of electric planes to sell, but there are also companies that are investing in the electric aircraft industry. Furthermore, it is crucial to reduce the carbon footprint of the airline industry!
Developments in Electric Aircrafts
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a great deal of interest in electric aircrafts. However, electric aircrafts were not able to develop because of the lack of battery technology and power.In recent years, however, there has been a lot of progress in battery technology and power that is making electric aircrafts possible.
We will talk about most significant achievements in this regard. NASA started a project called “X-57” to develop an electric aircraft that can fly for 1 hour with a maximum speed of 175 mph. The X-57 is an experimental plane, which has been designed to study the efficiency and reliability of electric aircraft. Furthermore, In 2019 MagniX and Harbour Air announced the first successful flight of their electric craft.
Many big fishes of the airline industry have made investments in electric-powered airplanes. These airlines include United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Japan Airlines, Connect Airlines, Icelandair, etc. Until now, the main problem with electric aircrafts is that they require massive batteries to charge them. Carrying these gigantic batteries in the plane is another issue.
Private companies like Tesla are working to produce batteries of desired power density. It is claimed by Elon Musk that these batteries will be lightweight and high-power motors. For jumbo jets, the future of electric aircrafts may seem like a few decades away, but it is a sure thing to keep the skies clean!
Usage of Electric Aircrafts to reduce CO2 emission
It is not only the cost of fuel that needs to be considered when comparing electric aircrafts with conventional ones. It is also essential to consider the impact on the environment. The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, used data from NASA’s Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) to assess the impact of different types of aircraft on the environment. The researchers concluded that the emissions from electric aircrafts are half those of conventional aircrafts.
A flight of fancy to the world of electric aircraft! If you’ve ever wanted to fly a plane but don’t want to deal with all that pesky jet fuel, then you’re in luck. The future is now, and it’s filled with battery-powered airplanes!
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