Electric airplanes

Rolls-Royce Holdings has publicly claimed it believes its Spirit of Innovation all-electric plane is the fastest electric vehicle in the world, following three new speed records. The flight data has been submitted to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) with the hopes the organization will soon certify and officially confirm these world records.

Rolls-Royce’s fully electric aircraft the Spirit of Innovation completed its maiden flight in the UK on Wednesday. The airplane flew for 15 minutes at the Ministry of Defense Boscombe Down aircraft testing site in Wiltshire, England.

The Spirit of Innovation, a Rolls-Royce all-electric airplane, is scheduled to take flight for the first time soon, and will be towed around the tarmac by a Jaguar I-Pace as a support vehicle. Rolls-Royce plans to attempt a world record flight with the Spirit of Innovation by reaching a target flight speed of over 300 mph.

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

• A Montana cryptocurrency miner wants to use solar to power its energy-draining business.
• Can emission-free electric (and hydrogen) airplanes replace fossil-fuel-powered planes?
• UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.

Battery-electric powertrains are taking over the whole transportation industry and we are starting seeing them making their way into air transport. We’ve now got a new example of that with the world’s first electric seaplane destined for commercial travel taking flight. Expand
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk started discussing the potential for electric airplanes, which he thinks could be viable in about 5 years.

Could a Tesla airplane be in Musk’s plans? Expand
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H55, a spinoff of solar-powered flight project Solar Impulse, announced it has successfully completed a flight with an all-electric two-seater airplane which it sees as a “stepping stone” for electric VTOLs and flying taxi development.

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All-electric aircraft manufacturer Eviation Aircraft has announced its first commercial customer — Cape Air, a Massachusetts-based regional airline that operates in the US and the Caribbean.

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BlackBird, an on-demand flight service that’s been called “Uber for planes,” is partnering with Bye Aerospace to add more than 100 electric airplanes to its platform. The companies say that the partnership will make flying cheaper more affordable than driving for trips up to 300 miles.

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Lilium has unveiled a new all-electric air taxi prototype, a jet-powered five-seater that’s the first of its kind. The Lilium Jet prototype completed its first successful test flight earlier this month.

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Seaplane operator Harbour Air and electric aviation company MagniX have announced plans to make Harbour Air’s entire commercial seaplane fleet all-electric.

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As electric airplanes seem riper than ever for takeoff, Air Race E is seeking to accelerate the adoption and acceptance of electric aviation with a (hopefully) highly-entertaining, high-speed, all-electric airplane race. Expand
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Despite once appearing to be a far off dream, electric transportation is largely commonplace today. Sales of Tesla cars are already surpassing that of their gas powered competitors, electric boats are sailing the seas and even electric buses are displacing traditional gas powered mass transit.

While the land and seas have already seen a influx of electric alternatives, the skies are still largely the domain of fossil fuel-based aircraft. Sure, there are a few promising electric aircraft out there performing maiden flights, though they are still a mere drop in the bucket. But with the work that NASA is performing on their electric X-57 plane, that may not be the case for much longer. Electric flight for the masses could be right around the corner. Expand
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Earlier this year, we reported on Slovenia-based light aircraft maker Pipistrel bringing its Alpha Electro all-electric plane to serial production after gaining in popularity with flight schools.

Now it received airworthiness certification from the FAA – the first all-electric trainer plane to hit the US. Expand
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