We Might Travel on Electric Aircrafts Much Sooner Than We Think

The electric aircraft industry is booming! As of 2020, electric airplanes have set new distance records, reproduced short commercial flight paths, and attracted buyers from big airlines.

“You’ve seen some shakeup in electric aviation, but also see it get closer to reality” in 2020, says John Hansman, director of MIT’s International Center for Air Transportation, and part of the hybrid-electric aircraft startup Electra. Matt Trotter of Silicon Valley Bank adds: “The pace of innovation in aviation right now is faster than we’ve ever seen from the entrepreneurs we speak with.”

All the advancements made in electric cars, whether it’s batteries, motors, or hardware, have paved the way for electric aviation. Carbon emissions are a substantial problem in aviation. The industry emits 2% of the world’s CO2 emissions, and this number could reach 25% by 2050. According to predictions, the aviation industry should be 25% hybrid or fully electric by 2035.