New report compares electric aircrafts with EVs

A new report says advanced electric aircraft technology started out like electric vehicles.

In an IDTechEx report “Manned Electric Aircraft 2020-2030” it says planes started with two-seater pure-electric vehicles and progressed to four wheels – in this case, fixed-wing aircraft.

This is similar to Tesla with cars, before more technology is introduced.

However, IDTechEx chief executive Raghu Das has concerns about the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) of pure electric aircraft.

“We believe that pure electric VTOL will eventually be a great success. Uber has deep pockets and realistically long timescales for such aircraft, knowing they have huge hurdles to overcome,” Das says.

“That includes batteries currently unable to provide long enough endurance for good margins of safety, particularly over a city, radical changes needed to air traffic control, to regulations and more.”

Unlike electric vehicles, an electric plan has no way of stopping mid-air and charging at a fast-charger.

Das says technical options are constrained and will take a long time to solve.

IDTechEx released a report titled “Lithium-ion Batteries for Electric Vehicles 2020-2030,” discussing and analysing the battery issues and potential for electric vehicles land, water and air.