Wednesday 29 March 2017

Electric Planes Soon Able To Carry Passengers Between London And Paris By 2027

plane

Fully electric passenger planes could be flying between London and Paris within 10 years, it has been claimed.

Start-up company Wright Electric has unveiled its concept for a 150-seat commercial passenger plane that runs on batteries and can fly distances of up to 300 miles.

The company is reportedly in discussions with budget British airline EasyJet about putting its design in the air.

"Easyjet has had discussions with Wright Electric and is actively providing an airline operator's perspective on the development of this exciting technology," the airline told BBC News in a statement.

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Battery-powered electric planes would potentially offer a more environmentally friendly way to travel short distances than traditional planes, which run on jet fuel.

Short-haul flights make up about 30% of all flights made globally, so using electric planes on these routes could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

They are also quieter than traditional planes, making them more pleasant to ride in and less disruptive to people on the ground.

However, significant hurdles need to be overcome if Wright Electric is to make its so-called Wright One plane a reality.

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The concept relies on batteries continuing to develop at their current rate over the next decade, so that by 2027 they will be able to hold enough energy to power planes over 300 miles.

Wright Electric's engineering team includes several people who have previously been employed by NASA to investigate the potential for electric planes.

The company's co-founder Jeff Engler claims this puts Wright Electric years ahead of its competition - which includes aviation giant Airbus.

Wright Electric is backed by Silicon Valley start-up incubator Y Combinator, which has previously helped to companies like Airbnb and Dropbox get off the ground.

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The concept was unveiled at Y Combinator's Demo Day on Monday.

"This is one of best hard tech teams I've seen," said Michael Seibel, the head of Y Combinator’s accelerator program.

Last year, NASA unveiled a concept for an electric plane nicknamed Maxwell, boasting an incredible 14 engines.

Meanwhile, Airbus's all-electric E-Fan plane is made from carbon fibre, and is propelled by two ducted fans situated above the wings.


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