Si era gia parlato su un altro thread riguardo agli aerei ibridi, questa volta U2 ha apertamente parlato di aerei a propulsione esclusivamente elettrica entro il prossimo decennio. Frutto di una partnership con l'americana Wright Electric. Come nel settore automotive, ci potrebbero essere tecnologie dirompenti che modificheranno lo scenario dei produttori storici di motori come RR, GE ecc.
EasyJet says it could be flying electric planes within a decade
UK-based airline has linked up with US firm Wright Electric to build battery-powered aircraft for flights under two hours
EasyJet could be flying electric planes within a decade, the airline said on Wednesday.
The UK carrier has formed a partnership with US firm Wright Electric, which is developing a battery-propelled aircraft for flights under two hours.
EasyJet said the move would enable battery-powered aircraft to travel short-haul routes such as London to Paris and Edinburgh to Bristol.
Carolyn McCall, easyJet’s chief executive, said the aerospace industry would follow the lead of the automotive industry in developing electric engines that would cut emissions and noise.
“For the first time in my career I can envisage a future without jet fuel and we are excited to be part of it,” she said. “It is now more a matter of when, not if, a short-haul electric plane will fly.”
Wright Electric is working with several airlines around the world, and claims that electric planes will be 50% quieter and 10% cheaper for airlines to buy and operate, with the cost saving potentially passed on to passengers.
EasyJet said its goal was for every short flight to be electric within 20 years. It has already built a two-seater prototype and is working towards a fully electric plane within a decade and with the capacity to carry at least 120 passengers.
EasyJet’s chief commercial officer, Peter Duffy, said the partnership would help Wright Electric understand what was required to make the planes commercially successful, looking at factors such as maintenance and revenue management.
“You’re seeing cities and countries starting to talk about banning diesel combustion engines. That would have been unthinkable just a short time ago,” Duffy said. As technology moves on, attitudes shift, ambitions change and you see opportunities you didn’t see. This is genuinely exciting.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/27/easyjet-electric-planes-wright-electric-flights
EasyJet puts its weight behind plans for electric planes
EasyJet is backing plans to develop commercial passenger aircraft powered by electric batteries instead of conventional aero engines.
The airline wants the proposed planes to fly passengers on its short-haul routes, possibly within 10-20 years.
The prototype is going to be developed by a new US firm called Wright Electric, which has already built a two-seat battery-powered plane.
The new, larger plane would have a range of 335 miles, the companies said.
EasyJet said this meant it would be able to cover popular routes such as London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
EasyJet's possible involvement was first revealed in March 2017.
Carolyn McCall, the chief executive of EasyJet, said she was now confident that such a plane, possibly carrying 220 passengers, would eventually fly.
"We share an ambition with Wright Electric for a more sustainable aviation industry," she said.
"Just as we have seen with the automotive industry, the aviation industry will be looking to electric technology to reduce our impact on the environment."
Wright Electric was only founded last year in the US.
It said EasyJet's support was a "powerful validation" of its plans that would involve developing "new energy storage chemistries" that are lighter than conventional batteries.
The firms argued that if successful, this new technology would lead to a further big cut in the amount of fuel being burned in the air and on the ground, a big cut in emissions, and would also lead to much quieter aircraft.
Wright Electric explained that the new batteries it is hoping to invent would power the propellers or fans of aeroplane engines.
However the motors would be put inside a plane's wings, rather than be slung underneath them.
That, it said, would make the planes more aerodynamic and would cut drag.
The batteries, the firm suggested, would be situated in the main body of the aircraft.
A company spokesman told the BBC that the technology was changing rapidly and that its preferred option was for a combination of lithium ion and aluminium air batteries, which would need to be one and half to two times as powerful as existing versions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41404039
EasyJet says it could be flying electric planes within a decade
UK-based airline has linked up with US firm Wright Electric to build battery-powered aircraft for flights under two hours
EasyJet could be flying electric planes within a decade, the airline said on Wednesday.
The UK carrier has formed a partnership with US firm Wright Electric, which is developing a battery-propelled aircraft for flights under two hours.
EasyJet said the move would enable battery-powered aircraft to travel short-haul routes such as London to Paris and Edinburgh to Bristol.
Carolyn McCall, easyJet’s chief executive, said the aerospace industry would follow the lead of the automotive industry in developing electric engines that would cut emissions and noise.
“For the first time in my career I can envisage a future without jet fuel and we are excited to be part of it,” she said. “It is now more a matter of when, not if, a short-haul electric plane will fly.”
Wright Electric is working with several airlines around the world, and claims that electric planes will be 50% quieter and 10% cheaper for airlines to buy and operate, with the cost saving potentially passed on to passengers.
EasyJet said its goal was for every short flight to be electric within 20 years. It has already built a two-seater prototype and is working towards a fully electric plane within a decade and with the capacity to carry at least 120 passengers.
EasyJet’s chief commercial officer, Peter Duffy, said the partnership would help Wright Electric understand what was required to make the planes commercially successful, looking at factors such as maintenance and revenue management.
“You’re seeing cities and countries starting to talk about banning diesel combustion engines. That would have been unthinkable just a short time ago,” Duffy said. As technology moves on, attitudes shift, ambitions change and you see opportunities you didn’t see. This is genuinely exciting.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/27/easyjet-electric-planes-wright-electric-flights
EasyJet puts its weight behind plans for electric planes
EasyJet is backing plans to develop commercial passenger aircraft powered by electric batteries instead of conventional aero engines.
The airline wants the proposed planes to fly passengers on its short-haul routes, possibly within 10-20 years.
The prototype is going to be developed by a new US firm called Wright Electric, which has already built a two-seat battery-powered plane.
The new, larger plane would have a range of 335 miles, the companies said.
EasyJet said this meant it would be able to cover popular routes such as London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
EasyJet's possible involvement was first revealed in March 2017.
Carolyn McCall, the chief executive of EasyJet, said she was now confident that such a plane, possibly carrying 220 passengers, would eventually fly.
"We share an ambition with Wright Electric for a more sustainable aviation industry," she said.
"Just as we have seen with the automotive industry, the aviation industry will be looking to electric technology to reduce our impact on the environment."
Wright Electric was only founded last year in the US.
It said EasyJet's support was a "powerful validation" of its plans that would involve developing "new energy storage chemistries" that are lighter than conventional batteries.
The firms argued that if successful, this new technology would lead to a further big cut in the amount of fuel being burned in the air and on the ground, a big cut in emissions, and would also lead to much quieter aircraft.
Wright Electric explained that the new batteries it is hoping to invent would power the propellers or fans of aeroplane engines.
However the motors would be put inside a plane's wings, rather than be slung underneath them.
That, it said, would make the planes more aerodynamic and would cut drag.
The batteries, the firm suggested, would be situated in the main body of the aircraft.
A company spokesman told the BBC that the technology was changing rapidly and that its preferred option was for a combination of lithium ion and aluminium air batteries, which would need to be one and half to two times as powerful as existing versions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41404039
