Lead acid batteries are the most efficient way to turn an auto motor over, and fire up the ignition. That’s because there is nothing to beat their power compared to cost. Moreover, they are almost infinitely recyclable in the right hands. However, lead batteries are a flight of fancy in terms of electric flight. That’s because their power to weight ratio is inadequate.
How Weight Means Batteries Are a Flight of Fancy
Orville and Wilbur Wright understood they needed the lightest possible airplane with the most powerful forward motion. Even then, they had to give it a shove in the right direction. That’s because their power to weight ratio was on a knife edge.
CNBC says battery weight is why electric airplanes are lagging behind electric cars which are doing rather well. That’s because over 200 startups building electric aircraft have not resolved the power to weight challenge. However, it’s not a case that batteries are a flight of fancy. It’s a matter of technology catching up with our dreams, and that may take a while longer.
It’s a Matter of Gasoline Versus Battery Power
Petroleum airplanes fly despite the weight of their fuel tanks because the energy they contain is sufficient to lift them into the air. However, there are limitations, hence they have to refuel at air terminals on their journey.
As CNBC reports a few small airplanes are making tentative flights, although they generally need hybrid power to make them commercially viable. While it’s not true batteries are a flight of fancy, their technology needs to catch up before flight can become truly green. NASA and the FAA are developing electric airplane standards.
However regulation is not the key. It seldom is. We need bold investors willing to think beyond short Uber urban hops. We need a next generation of Orville and Wilbur Wrights to take us into the future.
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Preview Image: Demonstrating the Flyer
