Commercial electric aircraft may sound pretty futuristic, but the first could be in operation as soon as 2026. We take a look at the future of electric planes. 
How close are we to electric planes?
Electric aircraft may sound pretty futuristic, but the first-ever electronically powered flight took place way back in 1883 and, recently, there’s been a push to create commercial electric planes designed to carry passengers without the need for jet fuel. The first of its kind may be in operation as soon as 2026. We take a look at the future of electric planes, how close we are to having them in our skies, how they work, and the technological hurdles that still surround their production.
Electric passenger planes are already a reality
Following the signing of the Paris Climate Accords in 2016 - which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 - investment and innovation in electric-powered technology has ramped up, and now we’re just a few short years away from electric aircraft flying paying passengers around the world.
Countries like Denmark and Sweden have already announced plans to make all domestic flights fossil fuel-free by 2030, while United Airlines have bought 100 19-seater, zero-emission, electric planes from Swedish startup Heart Aerospace and are set to take flight in the US in 2026 – and that’s not all:
EasyJet
EasyJet’s fleet could include electric planes before any other major European operator. The budget airline’s partnership with US startup Wright Electric has led to the development of the Wright 1 – an all-electric, 186-seat passenger jet with an 800-mile range that’s set to enter service by 2030.
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce’s electric plane, Spirit of Innovation, reached a record-breaking speed of 387.4mph during its first test flight in 2021. Renowned for its superior jet engines, Rolls-Royce is at the forefront of the battery-powered revolution and is working closely with other aviation giants like Airbus to create the next hybrid commercial aircraft.
NASA
NASA’s electric plane comes in the shape of the X-57. Each of this aircraft’s wings are lined with 12 electric motors with propellers to help lift the craft into the air, plus there are two larger engines at the end to assist with the plane’s ability to cruise. NASA expects the X-57 to have a range of roughly 100 miles, a cruise speed of 172mph and a 40-minute maximum flight time. Meanwhile, the aerospace giant has partnered with GE Aviation as part of the Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program to mature a megawatt-class hybrid electric engine that could power a single-aisle aircraft.
Boeing
Boeing has also tested an electric passenger air vehicle (PAV) of their own. The fully autonomous aircraft, which could be ready by 2023, has a maximum range of up to 50 miles and was designed for Uber Air and their flying taxi service. Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences has also been asked to provide aircraft modification, system integration and flight-testing services for NASA’s EPFD project.
Airbus
Airbus’ E-Fan 1.1 became the first electric plane to cross the English Channel in 2015. The company is now investing in the development of hybrid-propulsion commercial aircraft with jet engines supported by battery power, such as the E-Fan X, while their EcoPulse project investigates how to minimise the amount of power each propulsor requires.
Eviation
Israeli manufacturer Eviation is currently constructing what could be the first electric private jet. The Alice is a nine-passenger, two-crew member aircraft that produces no carbon emissions, significantly reduces noise and costs a fraction to operate per flight hour. The single-volume, high-energy-density Alice battery system is made from currently available battery cells and is not reliant on future advancements. The company claims the aircraft, which could be in service by 2024, will be able to cruise at 253mph and travel up to 440nm.
Ampaire
L.A. startup Ampaire’s Electric EEL is one of the first hybrid electric aircraft to win approval under the FAA’s experimental aircraft certification. Combining electric and jet fuel, the modified three-passenger Cessna 336 Skymaster completed a 341-mile test flight in 2020, which the company says is the longest ever electric-hybrid flight for a commercial aircraft.
How do electric planes work?
Electric vehicles have been driven on our roads for years, but how do electric planes work?
Like their automobile equivalents, electric aircraft have motors powered by lithium-ion batteries instead of fuel. When electrically charged, a chemical reaction inside the battery causes lithium to release electrons, creating lithium ions. These then run from one side of the battery to the other (anode to cathode) and, along the way, they power the attached device – in this case, a propellor.
This chemical reaction continues until all the electrons have reached the cathode, at which point the battery needs to be recharged using an external source of electricity to replace the used electrons and send them to the anode.
This process makes electric motors very powerful in short bursts. However, this quality is not ideal when it comes to flying a heavy long-haul commercial jet.
What are the challenges with electric planes?
The world’s first electronically powered flight was in 1883, and recent advances in battery technology have enabled the production of incredibly fast road vehicles, so why are we still some ways off from being able to power all-electric 747s or A380s?
One of the main challenges today is to fly larger aircraft over long distances. This issue stems from the fact that today’s lithium-ion batteries simply don’t offer the same amount of energy density as a jet fuel-powered engine can. Powering a large commercial aircraft for long distances would require several heavy batteries that would take up as much as 60% of the plane’s total weight, compared to just 30% when using jet fuel. This power-to-weight challenge means planes at the forefront of the zero-carbon race can only transport small groups on short flights. The EasyJet-backed Wright 1, for example, is designed to transport passengers for just an hour.
Then, there’s the infrastructure required to run an electric aircraft. Electric cars have been around for years and yet it’s still far harder and more time consuming to charge an electric car than a petrol or diesel one. Just like a car, electric aircraft will require a charging infrastructure that is both powerful and efficient, especially when you think of the relatively tight flight schedules a commercial airline endures on a day-to-day basis. Currently, a standard aircraft takes 45 minutes to an hour to fully refuel and can run for up to 21 hours (depending on a number of variables) on a single tank. The amount of energy required to match this performance will likely exceed what existing airports’ electrical infrastructure can deliver and new infrastructure will therefore have to be purpose-built. This will mean significant financial investment
Time and money also come into the equation for aircraft manufacturers designing electric planes. Certifying a new aircraft is arduous and expensive, with a clean-sheet design often taking five-to-seven-years to come to fruition. And once a plane is built, it needs to undergo multiple tests and approvals before it can be delivered to buyers.
Are we far from having electric private jets?
Aside from a few exceptions like the EasyJet-backed Wright 1, most of the fully-electric planes due for release in the next decade are smaller and have shorter ranges than most of the jet fuel-powered commercial jets, making them well-suited to private use.
Private aircraft can generally seat up to 19 passengers and make shorter flights than commercial planes – a turboprop, for example, can only cover 1,500 miles non-stop. Electric aircraft can’t quite match this, but with half of global flights covering under 500 miles, they’ll still be a good fit for private jet clients travelling shorter distances.
However, before these kinds of aircraft take off, air taxis, similar to overgrown drones or futuristic helicopters, promise to bring price and convenience to urban flying first. These eVTOL’s (vertical takeoff and landing airplanes) are set to be in our skies in the coming years, transporting a few select passengers short distances in an all-electric chopper. Archer Aviation are amongst the organisations closest to bringing this kind of aircraft to the masses. Their eVTOL aircraft gained FAA airworthiness certification and completed its first successful hover flight in 2021, and promises to deliver to the market by the end of 2024, transporting four passengers 60 miles at up to 150mph.
Will hybrid commercial planes come first?
Similarly to how hybrid road vehicles (like the Toyota Prius) were popular before fully-electric cars, we’re likely to see the same in aviation. In the near term, it is likely that batteries will play a supporting role in reducing a larger aircraft’s CO2 footprint in an application called micro-hybridisation – where batteries power non-propulsive functions, such as air conditioning, cabin pressurisation, communications, flight controls and landing gear.
In time, micro-hybridisation could also be used for certain engine functions on the ground and even in the air. For example, batteries may replace gas-powered auxiliary units to deliver power on the tarmac and help start the main engine. Electric power could also be used to assist the thermal engines during taxi and descent. This form of energy generation could reduce an aircraft’s environmental footprint by six percent.
As technology improves, we may also start seeing batteries power individual engines, like with the Airbus E-Fan X, or the elements of flying that require the most power, such as takeoff and landing. While we may have to wait decades until we’re able to fly to faraway destinations on an all-electric commercial-sized jet, the race to produce more energy-efficient lithium batteries is hotting up and, as a result, the technology is advancing at an alarming rate. This means we may not have to be as patient as we currently think.
We might not yet have access to electric aircraft, but Air Charter Service can organise your next private jet charter on a modern aircraft featuring cutting-edge innovations. Call one of our specialists for a no-obligation quote today.