Short-haul electric aviation will soon be a reality
Going electric would reduce the aviation sector’s considerable contribution to air and noise pollution, but its importance to the economies of so many countries, and the huge subsidies it therefore receives, means it has little incentive to decarbonize.
Sweden, Denmark and Norway, countries whose geography make them dependent on domestic flights, are already testing small electric planes for these routes, and have set the date for all internal routes to be electric by 2030 in the case of Sweden and Denmark, and 2040 in Norway.
Rolls-Royce, a major player in the aviation world, has been working for some time now on high-speed prototypes capable of trans-European flights as part of a UK government initiative called ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight); there are also other companies working on similar projects.
What is needed for electric aviation to take off? The fundamental problem is the weight of the batteries, although work is being done on technologies, such as lithium-sulfur, that can make them considerably lighter. This progress is prompting more and more talk about the possibility that electric aviation is closer than originally thought, with companies such as United and EasyJet among the pioneers, planning routes for 2026: United has ordered one hundred 19-seat aircraft from Swedish…
