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TL;DR: If I read things right, the BBC article is highly misleading and the plane still uses jet fuel. Longer version: The article mentions "removing the need

TL;DR: If I read things right, the BBC article is highly misleading and the plane still uses jet fuel. Longer version: The article mentions "removing the need for jet fuel" but does not explain how the engines of this "electric" plane work. Propellers run by electric motors, or what? No. Wright Electric's own site is scant on technical details and concentrates on praising the great team in its blog. From browsing other sites [0] it appears that the engines are still using conventional jet fuel to generate the thrust; it's just that the external systems (pressurization, de-icing, landing gear mechanics, fuel pumps etc) that are powered by electricity are using battery power instead of generator in the current jet engines. This may be a step ahead in energy efficiency but is not that revolutionary, and calling it "electric flight" is simply wrong. I hope I misunderstood, but Wright Electric really should tell how their electric plane is supposed to work if it is really electric. https://electrek.co/2017/03/22/electric-plane-startup-150-seat-battery-powered-plane/ https://electrek.co/2017/03/22/electric-plane-startup-150-se...

alex_duf 10y ago
I think the image you can see on the electrek article is from this blog post: https://weflywright.com/2017/02/12/wright-weekly-weport-feb-12-2017/ https://weflywright.com/2017/02/12/wright-weekly-weport-feb-... The legend for that image is: >This image shows the potential subsystems that could be powered electrically. (Note: an fuel plane can also install electric subsystems – for example the 787 is making headway in this direction – but the subsystems in an electric plane will be all electric!) From what I read from the blog, it looks like they are going all electric. So I'm not sure what magic they intend to use in order to propel the plane, but I'll assume propellers until proven wrong.
- taneq 10y ago
  Wow, apparently I've been driving an electric car for years! It uses quite a bit of petrol too though.
- ptaipale 10y ago
  Ok. Maybe I was too sceptic. However, I'd expect a competent tech journo to make some questions and write about how the electric plane actually works.
JustSomeNobody 10y ago
So, basically, PR to get a stock bump? Anytime I read anything that says 5 - 10 year, my initial reaction is, baloney.
- FungalRaincloud 10y ago
  I feel the same way, and yet, so much happens every single year that I never expected to see in my lifetime. I'm young (and in a tech field), tech isn't supposed to surprise me as much as it does. It's just that the media gets it so wrong so much of the time.
martijn_himself 10y ago
Their site and blog reminds me of the Mars One project: a lot of talk and no substance. I hope I'm mistaken.
IanCal 10y ago
> TL;DR: If I read things right, the BBC article is highly misleading and the plane still uses jet fuel. I don't think there's a clear description of the plane, so I don't think you can say what it "does" use. Their blog says they'll go all-electric if batteries progress fast enough or they describe taking a hybrid approach "like a chevy volt". > From browsing other sites [0] it appears that the engines are still using conventional jet fuel to generate the thrust; it's just that the external systems (pressurization, de-icing, landing gear mechanics, fuel pumps etc) that are powered by electricity are using battery power instead of generator in the current jet engines. The clip I think you're referring to comes from this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5dHV3MyeeBjN1BoU3hHclFYd3M/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5dHV3MyeeBjN1BoU3hHclFYd3M... which is not describing their proposal but they bring it up in one of the reports as a side opportunity for electric aviation.
pharrington 10y ago
From weflywright.com: As Bart wisely suggested, we’ve designed our battery strategy to be robust to different battery futures. If batteries don’t get dramatically better in the next decade, we design our plane as a hybrid with electric motors, like a Volt. It still has great cost savings as compared to today’s planes, and it doesn’t require massive battery advances. If batteries do get a lot better in the next decade, our plane is fully-electric and has fantastic cost savings. See chart #2 below; a near-future jump to a chemistry like Li-Metal doesn’t seem beyond the realm of possibility. There is no plane. What they have at this point is a couple ideas for potential designs.

alex_duf 10y ago

I think the image you can see on the electrek article is from this blog post: https://weflywright.com/2017/02/12/wright-weekly-weport-feb-12-2017/ https://weflywright.com/2017/02/12/wright-weekly-weport-feb-... The legend for that image is: >This image shows the potential subsystems that could be powered electrically. (Note: an fuel plane can also install electric subsystems – for example the 787 is making headway in this direction – but the subsystems in an electric plane will be all electric!) From what I read from the blog, it looks like they are going all electric. So I'm not sure what magic they intend to use in order to propel the plane, but I'll assume propellers until proven wrong.

taneq 10y ago
Wow, apparently I've been driving an electric car for years! It uses quite a bit of petrol too though.
ptaipale 10y ago
Ok. Maybe I was too sceptic. However, I'd expect a competent tech journo to make some questions and write about how the electric plane actually works.

JustSomeNobody 10y ago

So, basically, PR to get a stock bump? Anytime I read anything that says 5 - 10 year, my initial reaction is, baloney.

FungalRaincloud 10y ago
I feel the same way, and yet, so much happens every single year that I never expected to see in my lifetime. I'm young (and in a tech field), tech isn't supposed to surprise me as much as it does. It's just that the media gets it so wrong so much of the time.

martijn_himself 10y ago

Their site and blog reminds me of the Mars One project: a lot of talk and no substance. I hope I'm mistaken.

IanCal 10y ago

> TL;DR: If I read things right, the BBC article is highly misleading and the plane still uses jet fuel. I don't think there's a clear description of the plane, so I don't think you can say what it "does" use. Their blog says they'll go all-electric if batteries progress fast enough or they describe taking a hybrid approach "like a chevy volt". > From browsing other sites [0] it appears that the engines are still using conventional jet fuel to generate the thrust; it's just that the external systems (pressurization, de-icing, landing gear mechanics, fuel pumps etc) that are powered by electricity are using battery power instead of generator in the current jet engines. The clip I think you're referring to comes from this: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5dHV3MyeeBjN1BoU3hHclFYd3M/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5dHV3MyeeBjN1BoU3hHclFYd3M... which is not describing their proposal but they bring it up in one of the reports as a side opportunity for electric aviation.

pharrington 10y ago

From weflywright.com: As Bart wisely suggested, we’ve designed our battery strategy to be robust to different battery futures. If batteries don’t get dramatically better in the next decade, we design our plane as a hybrid with electric motors, like a Volt. It still has great cost savings as compared to today’s planes, and it doesn’t require massive battery advances. If batteries do get a lot better in the next decade, our plane is fully-electric and has fantastic cost savings. See chart #2 below; a near-future jump to a chemistry like Li-Metal doesn’t seem beyond the realm of possibility. There is no plane. What they have at this point is a couple ideas for potential designs.