Airplanes Will Soon Be Electric?
Electric cars have been increasingly hitting the roads in recent years, now electric airplanes may soon be taking to the skies.
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Electric airplanes are increasingly becoming more of a reality. United Airlines just poured $10 million of venture capital into a startup company called Archer that is working to develop electric aircraft. According to the company, the first electric airplanes could be soaring in the skies as early as 2024.
United’s investment in Archer’s electric airplanes was for a very specific reason. The company isn’t looking to replace existing commercial planes with electric ones, but rather they are looking to leverage Archer’s aircraft as shuttle vehicles. Theoretically, the electric airplanes would be used to transport individuals relatively short distances from one location to an airport. One possible scenario could be shuttling individuals from somewhere in Manhattan to Newark Airport in New Jersey, a distance that’s just a little over 20 miles.
Archer described its electric airplanes as more like helicopters. The company said that the vehicles are capable of landing on standard helipads. They lift off in a vertical fashion, similar to helicopters, too. However, one big advantage that these electric aircraft have over helicopters is that they are noticeably quieter. According to the company, they only emit sound at 45 dBA. CNN pointed out that this level of noise is “…softer than the ambient sound of an urban downtown.”
Quiet takeoffs and landings aren’t the only things that Archer’s electric airplanes have going for them. United Airlines sees them as a way to significantly cut down on CO2 emissions. The electric airlines would serve to prevent some people from using a car to drive between their origin point and destination. United Airlines says that early estimates suggest that Archer’s electric airplanes could help reduce CO2 emissions by almost 50% in places like Los Angeles where air pollution is particularly severe.
With its initial investment of $10 million, United Airlines will receive approximately 100 electric airplanes from Archer. United asserted that should Archer deliver as planned they will move to invest a total of $1 billion in the company. Doing the math, that means United is counting on adding around 10,000 electric airplanes to its fleet in the coming years.
While United’s plans to integrate electric airplanes into its fleets sounds promising, there are still a lot of roadblocks ahead that could impede a successful integration. First, the aircraft still has to be cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “We want to be very careful. We want to be very measured,” said FAA acting administrator Billy Nolen regarding putting electric airplanes in the skies.
Moreover, it is unclear how much an electric airplane shuttle service would actually cost travelers. If it’s too expensive for the average person then the option may never take off. From that perspective, United Airlines should be doing all that it can ahead of time to ensure that if and when they roll out a shuttle service via electric airplanes that it is one that an everyday traveler will be able to take advantage of. Overall, though, if United Airlines can circumnavigate all the perceived challenges ahead they could very well pioneer a sub-industry that has the potential to benefit travelers and the environment alike.
