I don't think the author is saying the plane has to be like a 737 with the batteries removed; the argument is more like: a 737 with battery replacement is an o

I don't think the author is saying the plane has to be like a 737 with the batteries removed; the argument is more like: a 737 with battery replacement is an order of magnitude away from being viable, so the design is going to have to close that gap, and that's a pretty tall order. It's a fairly lazy argument, but also one that effectively illustrates the challenge.