The Limitations of Zero Emission All Electric Planes

Zero emissions all electric airplanes are a tremendous step forward but they have limited payloads and they can only travel a fraction of the distance of traditional planes at less than half the speed.  We know that transportation is a major source of climate change causing greenhouse gases and air travel is a problem not only because of emissions but due to the fact that they are released in the upper atmosphere. Clearly we need alternatives to traditional air travel.  Decarbonization through electrification is the holy grail of transportation, however, air travel has unique obstacles. These hurdles will need to be overcome to make this a more viable mainstream option.

Here is a review of some of the major issues confronting the electrification of air travel. Battery capacity remains a major limitation as lithium batteries are as yet nowhere near as energy dense as liquid fuels. Battery cooling is another issue and inverters need to be developed specifically for air travel.

While there are electric planes on the market none of these planes are capable of flights longer than 100 miles. Only 5 percent of global airline flights are 100 miles or less.  With a top speed of
 337 KPH (210 MPH) these planes are also slow compared to traditional aircraft.

There are unique design options that can help to make electric planes more viable. This includes smaller wings, more motors, and better aerodynamics. We will also need to see regulations developed to accommodate electric flight.
 
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