[Micele]

Korte vluchten tot 300 miles of 480 km, tot 150 passagiers?:

https://weflywright.com/ website

Link van maart 2017, Wright Electric One:
https://electrek.co/2017/03/22/elect...powered-plane/

Link vandaag: Easy Jet (UK) is geïnteresseerd:
https://electrek.co/2017/03/22/elect...powered-plane/

Binnen 10 jaar mogelijk?

https://www.theguardian.com/business...ectric-flights

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 planes powered by batteries rather than petroleum to destinations including Paris and Amsterdam within a decade.

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 Amsterdam, and Edinburgh to Bristol. Wright Electric is aiming for an aircraft range of 335 miles, which would cover the journeys of about a fifth of passengers flown by easyJet.

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.”

The airline said it was the next step in making the airline less harmful for the environment, after cutting carbon emissions per passenger kilometre by 31% between 2000 and 2016.

Wright Electric 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.

The US firm 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. The next step is to scale-up the technology to a 10-seater aircraft, and eventually to build a single aisle, short haul commercial plane, with the capacity to carry at least 120 passengers.

Wright Electric was founded in 2016 by a team of aerospace engineers, powertrain experts, and battery chemists, with a background in organisations including Nasa, Boeing, and Cessna.

Jeffrey Engler, chief executive and founder of Wright Electric, said the startup firm’s partnership with easyJet was “a powerful validation” of its work. “Their insights have been invaluable as we look to commercialise our electric aircraft for the large and growing short-haul flight markets,” he added.

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.”

NASA werkt sinds 2016 aan een klein passagiersvliegtuig:
https://electrek.co/2016/06/17/nasa-...-x-57-project/

Blijkbaar heeft Wright Electric ingenieurs van Nasa aangeworven:

Battery-powered air travel is not currently commercially viable simply because the energy storage capacity of batteries has yet to compensate for their heavy weight. A lot of companies are eyeing the possibility as energy density is improving and we have seen some progress with Airbus’’ E-Fan being the first electric plane to successfully fly across the English Channel.

Now a new startup is trying the more ambitious goal of building a battery-powered 150-seat plane to compete with 737-size aircrafts in the market for short-haul trips (under 300 miles).

The new company called Wright Electric stepped out of stealth mode this week at Y Combinator Demo Day.

Techcrunch reported:

“Wright Electric announced it’s building an 150-seat plane to disrupt the 737 market. It’s struck a partnership with budget British airline EasyJet, which could put its design in the air. And it even showed off its own electric plane in the parking lot.”

Considering flights under 300 miles consist of 30% of flights and that Boeing and Airbus sold close to 1,000 of those regional airplanes for about $90 million each last year, it’s definitely a huge market. Even if the starting price is higher, the cost of fuel is such a significant portion of the operating cost for airlines that the return on investment could be quick if the batteries are recharged with cheap electricity.

Wright Electric, which is obviously named after the Wright brothers, poached engineers from NASA’s program for developing electric aircraft.



https://electrek.co/2017/03/22/elect...powered-plane/