Electric aircraft might be possible in future: Research


Xinhua | Published: November 26, 2017 13:14:27 | Updated: November 26, 2017 19:54:41


Zunum Aero’s hybrid-electric aircraft, due to enter service in 2022, is seen in this undated artist's rendering released by Zunum Aero on October 5, 2017.-Reuters Photo

Though airplanes have facilitated long-distance travel, there is a growing need to lower emissions from flights, which the European Commission claimed have become "one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions."

Through constant innovation, researchers found that electric planes will be possible to commute in the sky in the future. "I think it's possible," Peter Palensky, from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, told CNBC.

In the Friday report, Palensky said it "might be a reality in the not-so-distant future," as they have had lightweights, ultra-light airplanes and experimental ones from NASA.

In Germany, e-Genius, an electrically-powered two-seated aircraft, has been a pioneer in exploring the feasibility of clean-energy planes. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart described e-Genius as "high performance," as it has proved to be capable of traveling long distances.

"The e-Genius is a full electric battery-powered airplane with a max take-off mass of 900 kilograms," Andreas Strohmayer, from the university's Institute of Aircraft Design, told CNBC. He added that the aircraft could travel no more than 250 miles.

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