There's never been any doubt that you can make a small, short-range battery electric airplane. We will probably be able to make short-range battery electric an

There's never been any doubt that you can make a small, short-range battery electric airplane. We will probably be able to make short-range battery electric and fuel cell airliners. There is no prospect whatsoever of making an intercontinental battery electric airliner; there is no plausible battery chemistry with enough energy density to give you sufficient range. There are slightly better prospects of hydrogen-powered intercontinental airliners, but even that is very challenging given how bulky the hydrogen propellant required will be. The only realistic medium-term prospect appears to be sustainable aviation fuel, though I wonder if future generations might one day have a crack at nuclear aviation.