Electric aircraft can reduce flight costs by 90%.
Translated | small soldier
Source|The Divine Translation Bureau
Cover source | Visual China
Shen Translation Bureau is the compilation team under 36Kr, focusing on science and technology, business, workplace, life and other fields, focusing on foreign new technologies, new ideas, new trends.
Editor's note: Under the leadership of Tesla BYD, electric vehicles have attacked the city. What about electric planes? How far is it from reality? What are the advantages and obstacles of electric aircraft? This article is compiled and hopefully enlightened.
(ChinaIT.com) Can we electrify aircraft? Isn't it nice that there are no long runways, no airports far from the city, and only one apron is needed for electric planes to take off and land vertically? Wouldn't it be great to have an electric plane that no longer needs fuel and doesn't have as much pollution? Can electric planes fly faster than today's airplanes? Electric vehicles have changed the automotive industry, so can any companies change the aviation industry? What does the future hold for air transport? Although there is no definite answer, we can try to explore:
01
status quo
At this moment, about 16,000 aircraft are flying around the world. Overall, 40,000 aircraft worldwide are authorized to fly. More than 10 million people fly every day, and in 2017, the number of passengers carried by airplanes exceeded 4 billion for the first time, and by 2037, it is estimated to increase to more than 8 billion. The global aviation industry generated $825 billion in revenue in 2018 and is estimated to exceed $1 trillion in 2025. The cake is big and the investors are interested. If you want to reinvent the aviation industry, where to start? If you want to change drastically, you should look at it from three perspectives, at least one of the following: the cost per passenger. - Make airplanes fly faster. - More passengers per flight.
The maximum fuel capacity of the Boeing 747 can reach 170 tons, so so much fuel is undoubtedly a heavy burden. Because of this, usually the aircraft will only be filled with enough fuel when flying, and then leave a little spare space, not completely filled. To fill a large aircraft with fuel, it costs about $200,000-400,000. Fuel is consumed as the plane flies, and the weight of the aircraft is slowly reduced. If it is an electric aircraft, its weight will not become lighter when flying, because the battery weight is fixed. But the cost of electricity is much lower than that of fuel. When renewables slowly become widespread, at a certain tipping point, the plane may jump from fuel to electricity. Cars are racing on the electrification road, with Tesla on the outside and BYD and Aehan inside. But electric planes have one biggest problem: endurance — they can't make long-haul flights yet.
02
Big players
When it comes to the big aircraft market, Boeing and Airbus are undoubtedly the largest oligarchs, controlling 99% of the market. Boeing has been in a lot of trouble lately, with plane accidents one after another, but with no replacement, Boeing can still sit back and relax. Boeing spent a lot of money lobbying the U.S. government, and when small aircraft manufacturers had the ability to compete with it, Boeing would buy the company, such as its acquisition of Bombardier of Canada. Obviously Boeing is happy with the status quo and has no intention of changing anything. Aircraft manufacturers are slow to improve their aircraft, just a little bit each time, and they are conservative about new designs and technologies because the cost is too high and the risk is too high. In addition, the cost of aircraft is high, each can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, so companies will always find ways to extend the life of the aircraft as much as possible, so the pace of innovation becomes slower. Still, it can't be said that aircraft manufacturers aren't interested in electrification. Both Boeing and Airbus are investing in electric aircraft manufacturers such as Zunum Aero and the Air Race E Project, but nonetheless, the appearance and operation of these electric aircraft have not changed dramatically compared to conventional aircraft. Just like automakers, their fuel cars are good, and if it weren't for the challenges of new companies such as Tesla and BYD, they wouldn't have considered electric cars at all.
03
potential
Where is the future? I'm afraid it's up to supersonic vertical lift (VTOL) electric aircraft. Modern aircraft are very limited, useless weight is very large, 25 years later the aircraft may be completely different from today. Electric aircraft can fly higher than fuel aircraft because electric aircraft have no fuel engines and do not require oxygen. The higher you fly, the lower the air friction and the faster you can. Theoretically, a supersonic electric aircraft could cut flight times in half. Not only that, but the power-to-weight ratio of electric aircraft will also be higher, which means that it can achieve vertical lifting and lowering with smaller engines compared to traditional aircraft. The newly designed electric aircraft is lighter because only the engine needs to be rotated, with many fewer components. In short-range flights, electric aircraft can be very quickly successful, and it can reduce the cost per flight by 90%.
04
Challenges and threats
Batteries: The biggest problem is the battery, although battery technology is advancing, but it is not enough to use it in airplanes.
Space and storage: As mentioned above, the fuel weight of traditional aircraft will decrease when flying, but the battery weight is fixed.
Safety: Getting electric aircraft to fly safely is a challenge. Aircraft are an important source of carbon emissions and would be environmentally friendly if electrified. With electric vehicles, we need to build charging networks. When vertical lift electric aircraft become popular, airports and airspace will also change.
05
conclusion
We are still far from the popularity of electric aircraft, but the amount of investment is increasing. Once there is a change and more money pours in, there will be new players to challenge the old players. Alexandre de Funiac, former CEO of Air France, has said that electric commercial aircraft will become a reality in the next 15 years. Just like electric cars, it will be the rich who will first accept electric planes because they can afford high fares. As battery technology advances, medium-range electric aircraft will become more widespread, and eventually long-haul aircraft will be electrified.
Source: 36 Kr