It has become easier to imagine living in a clean economy. We know how to build energy-efficient homes and electric cars. We can power them with a grid fed by renewables that are dropping in price toward parity with fossil fuels. But one big part of modern life is missing from this picture. Where’s the airplane that doesn’t emit carbon dioxide?
Well, a startup called Zunum Aero is working on the electric plane. The Seattle-area venture drew lots of attention this month when Boeing and JetBlue both announced they are investing in the company. The Seattle Times quotes Zunum chief executive Ashish Kumar saying he expects to have a plane for test flights within two years and planes in service in the early 2020s. He describes an aircraft for fewer than 20 people with hybrid technology—batteries and a combustion engine. Zunum’s website is short on technical details but says its “hybrid-to-electric” planes will use less and less fuel as batteries improve and “will one day go completely without.”
Zunum’s business model envisions lower cost and increased convenience using its efficient small planes on short-haul routes. The Washington Post quotes Bonny Simi, president of JetBlue’s venture capital arm, with the inevitable comparison: “Think of it as Tesla of the air.” (Wired goes with the Chevy Volt as its point of comparison.) But it’s hard to ignore the fact that electric plane technology is nowhere near as close to reaching the mass market as Elon Musk’s cars.
KEY QUOTE: “Did you know that short-haul flights produce over 40% of aviation emissions? With our aircraft, we believe these will be largely eliminated within 20 years.” —Zunum Aero website
Well, a startup called Zunum Aero is working on the electric plane. The Seattle-area venture drew lots of attention this month when Boeing and JetBlue both announced they are investing in the company. The Seattle Times quotes Zunum chief executive Ashish Kumar saying he expects to have a plane for test flights within two years and planes in service in the early 2020s. He describes an aircraft for fewer than 20 people with hybrid technology—batteries and a combustion engine. Zunum’s website is short on technical details but says its “hybrid-to-electric” planes will use less and less fuel as batteries improve and “will one day go completely without.”
Zunum’s business model envisions lower cost and increased convenience using its efficient small planes on short-haul routes. The Washington Post quotes Bonny Simi, president of JetBlue’s venture capital arm, with the inevitable comparison: “Think of it as Tesla of the air.” (Wired goes with the Chevy Volt as its point of comparison.) But it’s hard to ignore the fact that electric plane technology is nowhere near as close to reaching the mass market as Elon Musk’s cars.
KEY QUOTE: “Did you know that short-haul flights produce over 40% of aviation emissions? With our aircraft, we believe these will be largely eliminated within 20 years.” —Zunum Aero website
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