The process of electrifying the world's fleet of cargo and passenger aircraft appears to have begun. It will most likely occur in a series of evolutionary phases, each lasting multiple decades. Due to the limitations of today's batteries and the conservative nature of the aircraft industry, it's expected that most of the next decade's commercial developments will focus on various types of hybrid-electric propulsion systems.
Driven by various combinations of batteries and conventional power plants, hybrid aircraft are already demonstrating their potential to both reduce carbon emissions and help support the development of the technologies required to support practical all-electric fleets.