The largest all-electric plane ever flew for 27 minutes, on $5 of electricity

https://www.techspot.com/news/113540-heart-aerospace-30-seat-electric-plane-takes-flight.html

74 points · 14 comments · view on lemmy.world

14 Comments

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 25d (2 replies)

Are we going to link this article another 30 times?

db_null@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 25d (1 reply)

Yeah but $5 electricity, plane go brooom, it's science!

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 25d

120 mile range plane was science at KittyHawk.

Trex202@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 25d (1 reply)

How much fuel $ does it cost to fly a comparable gas plane for the same time?

scibra122@piefed.social · 2 pts · 25d

Some rough math based on https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/DASH%208%20&%20Q%20SERIES/ISSUE63_DASH8FUEL.pdf suggests a Dash-8 100 series aircraft (similar passenger capacity turboprop plane) would burn something like 57 gallons on a 27 minute flight, assuming $4/gal results in $228 fuel cost

HerbGrower@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 25d (8 replies)

If we can have electric planes, what about electric hovercraft to replace some ferry routes?

Shut up about electric ferries. I want more hovercraft.

chuckleslord@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 25d (7 replies)

I'm so sorry. They're very cool but incredibly impractical. There's no way an insurer is going to cover a boat that basically is guaranteed to sink if it loses power.

alpine_jim@piefed.social · 5 pts · 25d (1 reply)

all commercial hovercraft are watertight and buoyant even when the engines are off.

chuckleslord@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 25d

Ah! Good to know!

HerbGrower@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 25d (2 replies)

I heard a hovercraft this morning, pretty sure they insure it, certainly has passengers.

Have heard rumours that they are looking to open up another route but I think its only seasonal and very infrequent. Hope it takes off though - pun not intended, but appreciated.

Never heard of a plane that managed to keep going without power and yet those can be insured. Also you can (apparently most do) make hovercraft with a buoyant hull.

chuckleslord@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 25d (1 reply)

Yes, floating is good. Planes have lifting bodies, so they can glide for quite a while without power.

HerbGrower@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 25d

Would love my own hovercraft, but they are pretty expensive. Not sure how I would legally transport it either.

FishFace@piefed.social · 2 pts · 25d

There are still a handful of commercial hovercraft routes.

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 25d

But it's the only British tech innovation of the last 100 years.