Norway Wants Its Puddle Jumpers Fully Electric by 2040Date:
02/05/2018Tag: @zunumaero #hybrid #aircraft #commercialaircraft #psd #avinor Norway Wants Its Puddle Jumpers Fully Electric by 2040Norway has an ambitious goal – to electrify all short-haul flights lasting 1.5 hours or less. The target date? 2040. No pressure … Avinor, Norway’s state-owned airport operator, specified their target – “This would cover all domestic flights and those to neighbouring Scandinavian capitals,” said Avinor chief executive Dag Falk-Petersen. “When we will have reached our goal, air travel will no longer be a problem for the climate, it will be a solution.” This may be a tad optimistic. Various companies have announced electric and hybrid-electric air taxis that should start operation from 2022-2026 (see more here, here, and here), but that’s a far cry from large-scale commercial air travel (even small-ish puddle-jumpers). According to electricvehiclesresearch.com, Norway has the world’s highest amount of electric cars on the road, so the will is definitely there. And the Boeing-backed startup Zunum is working on an electric airplane motor, which is due for testing this year. But until I at least see a viable electric airframe, I’ll scale back my expectations. |