Plans For London-Paris Electric Flight in 'Next Decade' Unveiled (telegraph.co.uk)

A start-up has unveiled ambitious plans to offer an electric-powered commercial flight between London and Paris in the next ten years. From a report: Wright Electric believes the proposed low-emission electric plane would offer a cheaper alternative to jet fuel for airlines and consumers. However, the start-up's bid to revolutionize short-haul flights relies on the continued advancement of battery technology. The company, who pitched to investors this week, would be forced to switch to a hybrid of aviation fuel and electricity if the advances in battery technology fail to materialise.

Comments

No chance.

[HornWumpus]

They would have to have the airplane largely designed and in early initial prototype to have it certified for commercial service in 10 years. This is pure bullshit seeking dumb investor money.

I approve: 'A fool and their money were lucky to get together in the first place.'

Re:No chance.

[squiggleslash]

Hence the London to Paris route of the first phase of this project, as right now power cord technology is sufficiently advanced that they can build cables of that length that won't snap. The battery powered planes will come later.

Re:No chance.

[squiggleslash]

Actually the real problem right now is that they're concerned the changes in air pressure and water vapor may cause premature degradation of the micro-USB connector on the end of the cord.

Re:No chance.

[welshie]

Actually, you can already get from London to Paris very efficiently with electric power, and yes, there is a power cord running all the way. It's called the Eurostar trains, and go from city centre to city centre quickly, with no silly faffing around with airports.

10 years

[Anonymous Coward]

10 years you say?

Let me consult the chart.

I'll take forced to switch to a hybrid

[thinkwaitfast]

aviation fuel and electricity as the advances in battery technology fail to materialise for 50, Alex.

Re:I'll take forced to switch to a hybrid

[HornWumpus]

I'll take: Never gets off the ground, no prototype ever built. Executives at startup pay themselves all the capital and fold the venture.

Re:Reno Air

[HornWumpus]

Could you build a turbine that runs on flaming batteries? They have CTs that run on powdered coal (at least a % after start).

The mass of batteries never changes

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with all battery operated vehicles is that as the batteries get depleted, their mass never changes. With Jet fuel, gasoline, etc, as the fuel gets depleted, the mass is reduced, and thus the energy required to move the vehicle is reduced.

Re:Makes Good Sense

[HornWumpus]

You should invest your entire retirement savings with them. It's a sure thing.

Re:Makes Good Sense

[Richard_at_work]

The weight reduction from not having to carry the turbine portion of the engine (you still need to carry the fan part) is *massively* offset by the fact that you carry your "fuel" the entire distance of the trip, 100%. Current planes get more efficient the longer they fly, as they burn off their fuel they get lighter - replace that fuel with a storage system like batteries and your plane is going to weigh as much on landing as it did on takeoff, with no efficiency gains en route, so the energy needed will be constant throughout the flight.

And yes, this is still an issue on short haul flights.

Don't kid yourselves, batteries for powering aircraft is a non-starter, the economics simply dont work.

Seems reasonable

[trawg]

This sounds great although I'm pretty sure my teleport startup will cut into their margins significantly. We will be offering London to Paris trips that are instant and cost only a few dollars.

We're just waiting for the technology to get us across the line but we've done a lot of thinking about the business model and we're pretty confident!

(BBC journalists feel free to call)