By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Travel Radar - Aviation NewsTravel Radar - Aviation News
  • Breaking News
  • Aviation
    • Aircraft
    • Airlines
    • Airshow & Events
    • Careers
    • Manufacturing
  • Travel
    • Airports
    • Points & Loyalty
    • Technology
    • Trip Reviews
  • Newsletters
Reading: Commercial Electric Planes Are On The Horizon
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Font ResizerAa
Travel Radar - Aviation NewsTravel Radar - Aviation News
  • Breaking News
  • Aviation
    • Aircraft
    • Airlines
    • Airshow & Events
    • Careers
    • Manufacturing
  • Travel
    • Airports
    • Points & Loyalty
    • Technology
    • Trip Reviews
  • Newsletters
Signin Sign In
Follow US
Copyright © Travel Radar Media Ltd. 2025 | All Rights Reserved
Travel Radar - Aviation News > News > Commercial Electric Planes Are On The Horizon

Commercial Electric Planes Are On The Horizon

Amuthan Chandrarajan
Last updated: 27 April 2022 23:37
By Amuthan Chandrarajan
5 Min Read
Share
electric plane
© Rolls- Royce
SHARE

With environmental concerns and climate change always on the agenda, people have talked about how the aviation industry can adapt to protect the environment – one possibility is electric flight. Now, one year from COP26 when governments around the world were discussing how to reduce climate change, there are many possibilities in discussion.

Possible solutions to the problems caused by the aviation industry which have already been discussed include using more environmentally friendly fuels that have lower carbon dioxide emissions and making planes more fuel-efficient. However, is there a way to reduce carbon emissions to zero?

The UK

Electric planes provide this opportunity; but how far has research progressed? And are we nearer to that possibility? The good news is, yes.

In November 2021 an all-electric aircraft, called The Spirit of Innovation – built by Rolls Royce, was successfully flown at the UK’s Ministry of Defence testing site in Wiltshire. It beat two existing records in terms of its speed. The aircraft’s average speed over 3 km was 555.9 km per hour (345.4 miles per hour). This broke the existing speed record by 213.04 km per hour (132 miles per hour).

Flag showing Rolls Royce electric
Rolls Royce has successfully flown an electric plane © Derby Telegraph

It also beat the current world record over 15km; the aircraft’s average speed was 532.2 km per hour (330 miles per hour). This record speed was faster than the previous one by292.8 km per hour (182 miles per hour). According to the BBC, the maximum speed reached was 623 km per hour (387.4 miles per hour) which made it the fastest electrical vehicle ever produced. However, this was not part of the official record submission to the World Air Sports Federation which was the organisation certifying the record.

The scheme that produced this plane is part of the UK Government-backed ACCEL or “Accelerating the Electrification of Flight” project. As one can see the UK government is all for making electric flight possible. However, the plane involved only had enough space for a seat for the pilot. Because of this, the UK government has some way to go before electric planes become a commercial reality.

Other Countries

However, it does appear that other countries have also been researching and developing electric aircraft. Israeli company Eviation has already developed the world’s first electric passenger flight, which it has named Alice. It has yet to be tested though so strictly speaking it has not yet been shown to be successful. However, according to CEO Omer Bart-Mohay, Alice will be ready for flight soon.

Alice offers more scope for the future of passenger planes as it is a nine-passenger flight. With battery technology similar to an electric car or mobile phone and 30 minutes of charging, it can fly for one hour and approximately 440 nautical miles. The plane has a cruise speed of 287 miles per hour when compared to a Boeing 737 which has a maximum cruise speed of 588 miles per hour.

So clearly more development needs to take place before optimum journey times occur. However, the company is confident that electric passenger planes that can fit between 20 to 40 passengers will be a reality in 7 to 10 years’ time.

The electric aviation industry is getting more crowded as more companies and countries seek to improve their carbon footprint. The companies getting involved are both start-ups as well as established companies. According to CNN, NASA gave 253 million US dollars in September 2021 to GE Aviation and magniX to bring the technology to US fleets by 2035. Boeing is investing 450 million US dollars in Wisk Aero, a company building an all-electric autonomous passenger aircraft. Airbus has also been working on electric aviation research since 2010.

NASA emblem electric plane
NASA is funding research into electric planes © Wikimedia

As one can see electric aviation research and development is taking off and many companies from around the world are working to develop electric passenger planes. So far, however, whilst electric planes have been successfully flown, there has not yet been a successful passenger flight. We have to wait to see how this develops. However, progress has been made and there continue to be more advances in this area.

 

You Might Also Like

Boeing 737 MAX 10 Completes Its First Test Flight
airBaltic Launches The Largest Air Cargo Handling Centre in Baltics
SWISS To Connect Geneva With Munich And Frankfurt
Air New Zealand Confirms New York Route Launch
Visiting New York City: Your 2020 Guide
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link
What’s your thoughts?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Angry0
Amuthan Chandrarajan
ByAmuthan Chandrarajan
Aviation Reporter - Amuthan has a background in residential and commercial real estate. He also has a keen interest in aviation and travel and has visited many countries. Amuthan has a sound knowledge of business and finance.  He has gained a Master of Business Administration and has become a Chartered Management Accountant. 
Previous Article Russia Aeroflot SSJ100 Half of Russia’s SSJ100 fleet could be grounded
Next Article Air India Loses International Traffic Rights
Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest

guest

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Upvoted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Stay Connected

FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
YoutubeSubscribe

Trending News

Airbus A321 Air Astana P4-OAS
Air Astana to Expand Network in the Middle East and Asia
Airlines Aviation Route Development
Emrecan Ergin, Vice President, Middle East and Africa at PPG Group
Plaza Premium Group Appoints the New Vice President, Emrecan Ergin
Airports Aviation Careers
EasyJet aircraft
easyJet Launch Five-Star Luxury Holiday Package Collection
Airlines Aviation Route Development Travel
BA CityFlyer Embraer
British Airways Announces Transatlantic Expansion With New Direct U.S Flight
Aircraft Aviation Travel
A LEGO figure next to a Billund Airport and Norwegian signboard.
Norwegian Announces New Billund – Edinburgh Route
Airlines Aviation Route Development
//

Travel Radar is the leading digital hub for all things aviation and air-travel. Discover our latest aviation news, aviation data, insight and analysis.

Discover

  • Latest News
  • Subscribe
  • Weekly Digest
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Media Coverage
  • Press & Events
  • Join Our Team
  • Our Brands

Signup to our Newsletter!

And get the latest aviation news via our weekly news digest!

© Travel Radar Media Ltd. 2015-2025 | ISSN #2635-0696 | Trademark #UK00003579704
wpDiscuz
adbanner
Welcome to the TR Community!

Sign in to your account

Not a member? Sign Up