An Introduction to Hybrid-Electric Aircraft (Part 2) (Download)
As we learned in Part 1 of this series, electric propulsion holds significant potential for reducing aircraft carbon emissions while dramatically reducing operating costs.* It also became evident that pure electric flight is impractical for most applications at this time, mainly due to the relatively low power densities available from today's commercially available batteries.
The good news is that, since battery technology is steadily improving, all-electric flight could become commercially viable for some applications, such as small (6-10 passengers) short-haul (250-500 miles) commuter aircraft in five to 10 years.1,2,3 The less good news is that, barring an unforeseen breakthrough, it could take much longer for batteries with the power densities required for larger, faster aircraft with ranges of 1,000+ miles to enter production.