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> Apples and oranges. You also need to factor in the weight of the engines and the reenforced fuselage you need to support jet engines. It's not just the fuel t
by geezerjay 8y ago
> Apples and oranges. You also need to factor in the weight of the engines and the reenforced fuselage you need to support jet engines. It's not just the fuel that is heavy. Electrical engines are really light and compact. The resulting planes can be much lighter.
Electric engines are lighter than ICEs but batteries are very heavy and unlike jet fuel they don't shed their weight as they are used.
- favorited 8y agoIt's also a lot faster to refuel a plane than to recharge those enormous batteries. That's longer turnaround times between flights, huge(r) delays if you need to stop to refuel due to weather, etc.
- jillesvangurp 8y agoDepends, it takes about 20-30 minutes to start a jet; do all the pre-flight checks, etc. Add to that boarding, cleaning, etc. and most planes would be on the ground for at least half an hour and probably closer to an hour in between flights. That's plenty of time to recharge.
- geezerjay 8y agoThat can be mitigated by using modular batteries designed to be easily replaceable during any stop. Land, open the cargo bay doors, remove battery modules, add battery modules, take-off. This sort of operation can take far more time than unloading luggage due to the advantages of using standardized containers.