Re:Lilium achieves first main wing transition for all-electr...
by scythe on Sunday June 12, 2022 @01:00PM
(#31716047)
>[The electric airplane] doesn't really mesh into the existing aviation industry
The reason small electric planes haven't taken off [1] is that they simply haven't proven their cost advantage. About one-sixth of the cost of a flight is fuel, which can be difficult to tax because of jurisdiction shopping. A third is labor, including taking care of the plane. Seven percent goes to building the plane. From:
Optimistically, electric planes could be cheaper to fuel, build and maintain. That's enough to upset an entrenched industry. But it's not clear how it should be organized, and the infrastructure mostly doesn't exist. Plus, the scale you expect to operate at depends on battery technology, which has been a little up in the air [2], and you don't want to design your operations around 1000-mile ranges if it's going to be 2000 in ten years.
The reason small electric planes haven't taken off [1] is that they simply haven't proven their cost advantage. About one-sixth of the cost of a flight is fuel, which can be difficult to tax because of jurisdiction shopping. A third is labor, including taking care of the plane. Seven percent goes to building the plane. From:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/airfare-d...
Optimistically, electric planes could be cheaper to fuel, build and maintain. That's enough to upset an entrenched industry. But it's not clear how it should be organized, and the infrastructure mostly doesn't exist. Plus, the scale you expect to operate at depends on battery technology, which has been a little up in the air [2], and you don't want to design your operations around 1000-mile ranges if it's going to be 2000 in ten years.
1: Sorry.
2: Sorry. But see: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42004-022-00626-2