Electric planes where used have already shown to be significantly cheaper to operate. Even if you need more overall energy, as electricity is cheaper then fuel, that is not necessary a problem.
Also, I think people really need to think about this some more and not just look at first order effects.
ery reductionist analysis.
- Electric engines are far more efficient.
- Electric engines have a significantly better trust-to-weight ratio.
- Lighter engines mean less structural load
- Batteries can be structural components, not just dead weight, unlike fuel
- Potentially you can use gravity to recharge the battery
- Electric engines have efficiency that stays the same, not optimized for one altitude
- Electric engines can go higher and use less air resistant
To achieve all of this you need to completely re-engineer planes and that is very expensive and batteries are only just getting close to the required power. The necessary investment to completely redesign plans to take advantage of these has not been made.
If you look at Alice plain for example, they have taken advantage of some of these things I mention. They were able to get away with thin wings. However they still don't exploit many of these things as they are just an integration company. Their plane carries the battery like cargo, rather then having the battery be structural.
Also, I think people really need to think about this some more and not just look at first order effects.
ery reductionist analysis.
- Electric engines are far more efficient.
- Electric engines have a significantly better trust-to-weight ratio.
- Lighter engines mean less structural load
- Batteries can be structural components, not just dead weight, unlike fuel
- Potentially you can use gravity to recharge the battery
- Electric engines have efficiency that stays the same, not optimized for one altitude
- Electric engines can go higher and use less air resistant
To achieve all of this you need to completely re-engineer planes and that is very expensive and batteries are only just getting close to the required power. The necessary investment to completely redesign plans to take advantage of these has not been made.
If you look at Alice plain for example, they have taken advantage of some of these things I mention. They were able to get away with thin wings. However they still don't exploit many of these things as they are just an integration company. Their plane carries the battery like cargo, rather then having the battery be structural.