Electric Airplanes

Electric powered Beaver seaplane in first test flight

Aviation emissions

Airplane carbon dioxide emissions are about 2.5% of global carbon emissions. These emissions are increasing, and reducing them will be difficult.  

Energy density problem

Jet fuel has a high energy density, holding about 30 times more energy per kilogram than a battery. This means that a battery plane must carry batteries that are at least 30 times as heavy as the jet fuel needed for the same flight. Batteries get too heavy for long flights.

Electric planes are here, but they won’t solve flying’s emissions problem: The Conversation: 6 Nov 2019.

Electric planes

The good news is that we do have:

  • two-person electric planes, and
  • larger electric planes are emerging.

Pipistrel: Velis Electro

In June 2020, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency achieved a groundbreaking milestone by issuing the world’s first “type certification” for a fully electric aircraft: the Pipistrel: Velis Electro. Certification for electric planes is typically lengthy due to their novelty and the rapid evolution of the technology. Remarkably, the certification process for this aircraft was completed in just three years. As a result, commercial electric flight has been a reality since 2020, marking four years of progress in this field.

Pipistrel makes a range of planes, including the battery-powered Velis Electro:

  • A two-seater
  • Approved for pilot training in over 30 countries
  • Flight time up to 50 minutes plus 10 minutes of reserve
  • Liquid-cooled lithium battery
  • Charge with a Pipistrel battery charger and 3-phase 380-volt alternating current.
  • Charging from 35% to 95% takes 80 minutes
  • Low fuel costs and maintenance
  • The quiet motor allows more flights near urban areas
  • Zero carbon emissions during flight
  • Developed from an earlier model: the 2007 Taurus Electro

Consider the weight of this plane,

Weight without batteries288 kg48%
Battery weight140 kg23%
Maximum load including people172 kg29%
Total: Maximum take-off weight600 kg100%

The battery uses 23% of the maximum take-off weight.

Pipistrel Velis Electro: Top Gear Review: Feb 2022

Pipistrel Velis Electro: Wikipedia

Electric planes in Australia

We have some of these Pipistrel electric planes in Australia.

The Perth-based company FlyOnE imported three Pipistrel Alpha Electro electric planes. They use these planes for private hire, pilot training, and sales demonstration.

Electric planes and emissions: ABC News: 5 May 2024

Alice: an all-electric plane

Alice: A commercial electric 9-seater plane

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A nine-passenger electric plane with a range of 1,000 km had its first test flight on 27 Sep 2022. It flew for eight minutes.

Eviation is still developing this plane, Alice, and has orders for 160 planes. They have designed it to:

  • carry nine passengers and 2 crew
  • fly up to 1,000 km,
  • Maximum take-off weight (MTOW): 6,350 kg
  • Battery weight: 3,720 kg, 59% of MTOW
  • Lithium battery
  • Charging via mobile charging vehicles, like aviation fuel trucks
  • Charging time: 30 minutes per hour of flight
  • cruise at 240 knots (444 km/hour),
  • cut maintenance and fuel costs to about 30% of conventional planes.

How this electric aeroplane could reshape regional air travel: Renew Economy: 13 Nov 2018

All-electric jet firm Eviation announces US regional airline as the first customer: American Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC)

MagniX to power Alice the Eviation electric aircraft: The Driven: 22 Apr 2019

Eviation: Alice: Wikipedia

Electrified Beaver seaplanes

Electric powered Beaver seaplane in first test flight

Harbour Air in Canada electrified an old Beaver seaplane with a MagniX electric propulsion system. The plane flew 45 miles in 24 minutes in its first test fight on 10 Dec 2019, and by Aug 2022, it had done 70 test flights. They are now working to gain Canadian passenger flight certification for this plane.

Harbour Air carries half a million passengers a year. The electric planes will suit their business as their current planes carry 6 to 19 passengers, primarily for flights under 30 minutes.

Going Electric: Harbor Air: Canada

Seaplane to e-plane: Flight test confirmed: Harbour Air

Magnix

MagniX made the electric propulsion systems for the Beaver Seaplane and Alice. Although Magnix is now a US company, it started as an Engineering company on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Australia often has the know-how, but our companies frequently move overseas.

Summary

Larger electric planes are emerging, but reducing aeroplane carbon emissions will be hard.

Updated 22 July 2024 at 2 pm