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Boeing-Backed, Hybrid-Electric Commuter Plane To Hit Market In 2022 (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: A Seattle-area startup, backed by the venture capital arms of Boeing and JetBlue announced plans on Thursday to bring a small hybrid-electric commuter aircraft to market by 2022. The small airliner is the first of several planes planned by Zunum Aero, which said it would seat up to 12 passengers and be powered by two electric motors, dramatically reducing the travel time and cost of trips under 1,000 miles (1,600 km). Zunum's plans and timetable underscore a rush to develop small electric aircraft based on rapidly evolving battery technology and artificial intelligence systems that avoid obstacles on a road or in the sky. In a separate but related development, Boeing said on Thursday it plans to acquire a company that specializes in electric and autonomous flight to help its own efforts to develop such aircraft. Zunum's planes would fly from thousands of small airports around big cities to cut regional travel times and costs.
I've read about how planes are required to have certain amounts of fuel at certain points relative to their trip.
You need to have 100 or 200 nmi of fuel left once you reach for destination to divert if necessary. Depends on the Part and certificate under which you operate.
More to my point I have heard that this is why planes often have to dump unused jet fuel (usually conveniently done over less-desirable neighborhoods near the airport) before landing.
Planes have to have a provision to reduce weight if the plane must land before the destination. Generally, if the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is greater than 105% of the maximum landing weight (MLW), there will be a fuel dump option. It is not used often, only during an abnormality or declared emergency, if the type is so equipped. Otherwise, the plane will circle, if practical, to burn fuel to reduce weight for landing. If that isn't possible, an overweight landing will happen with the air frame taken out of service for a D-level inspection.
If your fuel instead is primarily batteries, how will that change these regulations?
The air frame will be designed such that MTOW = MLW. This isn't an unusual design criterion at all.