3 ms·
Dumb idea: If the weight of the batteries is significant, then dump out the empty ones with parachutes partway through the flight?
by waterhouse 7y ago
Dumb idea: If the weight of the batteries is significant, then dump out the empty ones with parachutes partway through the flight?
- namirez 7y agoLike this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoGIPk8Vrl0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoGIPk8Vrl0
- AdrianB1 7y agoTaking seriously the idea for a moment: you don't consume batteries one at a time, they are in various degrees of parallelism. Also the balance of the plane is affected by mass ejection.
- Robotbeat 7y agoIndeed, there are various ways to handle "staging" of aircraft, including parachuting batteries, electric towplanes, assisted groundlaunch, piggyback, etc. These may have niche uses, particularly for cargo flights, but I suspect that will only happen if 1) jet air travel pays for its full climate cost and 2) we stop making any progress in battery technology. It'd be fun to try, though.
- ansible 7y agoThey do this for the 2nd stage of the Electron rocket, though the batteries are not recovered. Scott Manley video: https://youtu.be/U5k1mlu6A7I?t=106 https://youtu.be/U5k1mlu6A7I?t=106