Could We Dream of an Electric Flight?
The world is witnessing the great evolution of humankind’s intelligence. It may sound so corny, but that is what is happening right now. People could only dream things first that they thought was impossible. First is the telephone, followed by airplanes, cars, mobile phone, the internet then comes the autonomous cars. These autonomous cars are still currently in development, but every auto shows, companies show a glimpse of technology that will lead the car to become fully autonomic. Now, people are thinking that it may be possible to turn planes fully powered by electricity ( as mention Emilien at electricien brie comte robert Brechemier ). But seeing that a fully electric powered car has its limits. Is an electric flight still a dream these days?
It may happen soon, as various commercial airline companies are now investing in the future of commercial electric aviation. Isn’t that quite a mouthful? But people are getting antsy about when this is going to be implemented. If you are one of them, don’t worry. You are already witnessing them, but they aren’t available for commercial flights yet. They have to make sure that everyone is safe inside for passengers to ride on.
Why are they made in the first place?
What has driven people to devote their time into making autonomous cars and electric airlines is the fear of exhausting the petroleum source of the Earth someday. Not only that, they also want to reduce the pollution and carbon footprint done by the heavy industry.
In the 2008 International Powered Lift Conference, a paper was presented wherein it details a hybrid aircraft, with a fat shaped fuselage with wings that is powered by 2 turbine engines that are driven by a pair of efficient generators. The generators produce electric current that is distributed to the motors wherein it will power up 16 fans that are measured 3 ft in diameter. This idea was just written in paper during the conference, but it wasn’t dismissed ( https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/17/nasas-new-x-plane-and-the-future-of-electric-aircraft/ )
In the year 2010, there were a group of researchers in NASA that were thinking about the future of the transportation of America. They were particularly concerned about short-distance and intra-metro travel, which are the trips usually taken by people using their cars. In layman’s terms, it is about commute. The researchers saw potential that flying in the sky seems much faster compared to land and it is even logical for short distances, too. This is the reason that NASA went straight for the electrical propulsion. Most of the projects that were implemented after that were simply replacing the gasoline-powered engine with the electric one. However, the recent ones are completely different.
People have not thought about it that much, but they know how it is advantageous for aircrafts to be powered by electric motors. This is different from internal combustion engines, since the former does not need any air to produce its power. This means that electric motors are able to maintain their full power even when flying at high altitudes, where the air is very thin. That is just one aspect of an electric powered aircraft can do.
Thanks to Brechmier Electricité for their insights!