Can planes ever go electric?
The air travel has gradually got cheaper and more affordable for the people which has affected in increase of carbon emissions across the planet. It would be an impeccable idea to make the aircrafts go electric than the current fossil fuel based aviation jets, but if it would be really effective and efficient then this idea would have came into reality by now. The real reason for it to not happen is the efficiency of battery compared to ATF(Air Turbine Fuel)
It clearly represents that ATF is far more effective solution than any battery till date, If we start using batteries instead of fuel, we might not be able to take off with that huge weight and flying would be impossible for wide body aircrafts and disposing that gigantic amount of battery would be a different story on its own.
But there is one more thing which can make flying eco-friendly, and that is hydrogen. It is the most efficient fuel in the the world with the highest calorific value. Also, it is a renewable fuel so that it would never get exhausted. Using hydrogen instead of ATF is a very environment friendly decision, but a major challenge to face here is the storage.
As this element is very inflammable, it can cause an incident like Hindenburg which no one wants to take place again. To ensure its storage it must be stored in a liquid state which would require very innovative and robust designs in the plane’s structure.
All of these points have been kept in mind and are likely to come into reality. European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has showcased its designs and models in Paris Air Show 2023. It showcased the future of aviation technology. The company claims that by 2035, they would be launching their first series of hydrogen jets named as ZEROe which will be a very important step in making air travel with net zero carbon emission and would comparatively be more affordable than now as it is easy to extract hydrogen than any other fuel.
Furthermore, it would be more silent than the current engines which would make our journeys more pleasant and enjoyable from now. In addition to planes, there is a high probability of cars and other automobiles running on hydrogen fuel cell.
In a few years from now, both hydrogen fuel cells and current fuels will likely go parallel and the transition from fossil fuels would be a very gradual yet effective one.
Our attention to global warming and problems of running out of fuel in the future has led ourselves to design and engineer such brilliant products that will secure future for mankind and will make this world a better place to live.