Using electric motors to power airplane propeller engines to lessen pollution. Electric aviation also means fewer hours of scheduled maintenance because gasoline motors need to be overhauled every 2,000 hours instead of every 20,000 for electric motors. However, batteries are heavy, and the first electric planes are designed for short commuter flights.
Electric Planes Are Coming
In 2019, Eviation Aircraft had a backorder for more than 150 of its nine-passenger Alice airplanes with a range of 650 miles. Starting in the 2020s, there were more than 100 electric aviation projects under development worldwide. In 2022, United Airlines announced plans to have 100 30-passenger combination electric/propeller planes in the air for short trips by 2030. The hybrid planes, which were purchased from Swedish startup Heart Aerospace, can travel roughly 125 miles on battery before switching to fuel. Full recharging is expected to take only 30 minutes. See
electric vehicle.