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A comment on Lilium achieves first main wing transition for all-electric aircraft [video]. Parent comment

Re:Lilium achieves first main wing transition for all-electr... by closedloop129 on Sunday June 12, 2022 @01:16PM (#31716219)
In that niche, why are batteries needed? Couldn't those planes be constructed with gas turbines that generate the necessary electricity?
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Re:Lilium achieves first main wing transition for all-electr... by marcosdumay on Sunday June 12, 2022 @04:10PM (#31717837)
It's a matter of the weight/power relation. While batteries suck on weight/energy, their weight/power is great.

The lower that relation, the smaller you can make your VTOL vehicles, and the smaller the vehicles, the cheapest and more economical they are on total.

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Re:Lilium achieves first main wing transition for all-electr... by t0mas88 on Sunday June 12, 2022 @01:35PM (#31716435)
VTOL works fine with turbines, nearly all large helicopters use turbine engines. They don't use the turbines as generators but instead connect both engines to the rotor via a gearbox.
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