2 ms·

This graphic always reminds me why it's so hard to beat gasoline and that batteries kinda suck. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_density#/media/File:Energy

• kibwen 22d ago
  Energy density alone is a misleading metric, because what matters is how much energy actually gets delivered to the drive mechanism. It's actually not that hard to beat gasoline, because despite its excellent energy density, gasoline engines are only 30% efficient. First and foremost a gasoline engine is a machine for producing heat and noise, and only incidentally for producing forward motion.
• mrinterweb 22d ago
  I think lithium air batteries will be the real inflection point for aeronautics. Li-air has potential density 12 kWh/kg. CATL is focused on this tech. May be some years before they are able to achieve the full potential density. Still, as the other commenters said, the efficiency of electricity make make up that difference.
• vl 22d ago
  Also for traditional fuel you don’t have to carry half of the fuel - oxidizer comes from air. And then when you spend fuel, you have less weight to carry (which becomes noticeable on the plane).