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Electric Planes, Once a Fantasy, Start to Take to the Skies
The New York Times ^ | November 7, 2023 | Nirraj Choksi

Posted on 11/07/2023 9:37:56 AM PST by aculeus

How a small plane’s 16-day trip from Vermont to Florida might foreshadow a new era of battery-powered air travel long considered implausible.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; Unclassified
KEYWORDS: aviation; chat; electric; eletric; ev; notnews; plane; walkingspeed
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To: aculeus
Electric Plane to Tower "Tower this is EV69, we are almost out of electricity and declaring an emergency!"

Tower to "EV69, sorry all the chargers are in use, please maintain altitude and direction...."

61 posted on 11/07/2023 11:32:12 AM PST by Lockbox (politicians, they all seemed like game show hosts to me.... Sting…)
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To: aculeus

Look on the bright side, no more center fuel tank explosions.


62 posted on 11/07/2023 11:36:11 AM PST by JZelle
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To: aculeus

A flying lithium bomb. You can just open the door and step out when those batteries catch fire. Then you gotta hope that someone on the ground is not killed.


63 posted on 11/07/2023 11:45:34 AM PST by Revel
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To: married21

“You couldn’t walk it, but maybe bike or electric bike?”

Perhaps. I’d rather drive it in a real car.


64 posted on 11/07/2023 11:52:39 AM PST by gymbeau (I refuse to be anonymous. I am THEnonymous.)
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To: Leaning Right
"...you can pedal-power a plane." No. No, "you" can't. THAT guy in the cyclist getup -- HE can power it. But, no, the average "you" cannot.

But we ought not throw cold water on people exhibiting what can happen at the skinny end of the Bell curve.

It's when they begin to gush about it becoming the fat middle of the bell curve that we should erupt in raucous laughter.


65 posted on 11/07/2023 11:52:45 AM PST by HKMk23 (https://youtu.be/LTseTg48568)
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To: rey

I’d rather drive.


66 posted on 11/07/2023 11:53:17 AM PST by gymbeau (I refuse to be anonymous. I am THEnonymous.)
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To: married21

I know a few people who can do 100 miles a day on a bicycle, and they are not professional racers or anything like that.
Think about it; 20 miles per hour for 5 hours, they are just health and fitness nut types.


67 posted on 11/07/2023 12:06:58 PM PST by 5th MEB
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To: HKMk23
> No, "you" can't. THAT guy in the cyclist getup -- HE can power it. <

I wasn’t going to brag, but that is me in the cyclist getup. Below is a picture of me. Expand the picture in #9, and you’ll see it’s a perfect match. 😀


68 posted on 11/07/2023 12:08:14 PM PST by Leaning Right (The steal is real.)
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To: aculeus; All

A high capacity EV battery has an energy density of ~400 Watt hours /kg.

The equivalent for gasoline or jet fuel is 13,000.

The energy density for batteries is two orders of magnitude less.


69 posted on 11/07/2023 12:13:28 PM PST by Reverend Wright ( Everything touched by progressives, dies !)
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To: aculeus

At this point in time..I ain’t riding in an Electric Plane.


70 posted on 11/07/2023 12:43:10 PM PST by Osage Orange (I miss Rush)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

“He envisions people from the SF Bay Area living in the foothills of the Sierras and commuting to work in their aircraft.”

Does he envision how they are all going to qualify for pilot’s licenses?


71 posted on 11/07/2023 12:43:56 PM PST by Boogieman
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To: FlingWingFlyer
Where are these idiots going to get all the electricity from?

Unicorn farts, silly!

72 posted on 11/07/2023 12:46:34 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: aculeus

Re-imagine a C-130 with electric motors....


73 posted on 11/07/2023 12:48:34 PM PST by lurk (u)
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To: aculeus

Having worked in the industry, and dabbled with electric planes.

Good luck with that. Sure, looks great on paper. Part of your range in any aircraft is weight loss from fuel burn. Two. Unless physics change, there are no batteries I know of that lose weight as they run. Three. unless physics change batteries will never have the same energy density available in liquid fuels. Three... Unless physics change Batteries will not operate in the huge temperature differences in flight. The weight to produce the same thrust or prop HP from an electric motor is massive. An aircraft only makes money if it is in the air. Sure some rich person may be able to fly this back and forth to an airport but seeing how they will not have heaters or air conditioners a car will be more comfortable.

Everything running this is a tax write off or a tax subsidy.


74 posted on 11/07/2023 1:44:40 PM PST by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes)
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To: TexasGator

“Each type of motor has a characteristic torque curve. None make max torque at all RPMs.”

WRONG, electric motors have the same torque at all RPM. Engines have a torque curve.

When measuring torque in lb.ft., the torque and horsepower will be the same at 5252 rpm. Torque is higher than HP below 5252 rpm and HP is higher than torque above 5252 rpm. The 5252 is a mathematical constant that converts the formula for linear horse power into a formula for rotational horsepower. The formula is Torque x HP / 5252.


75 posted on 11/07/2023 2:25:30 PM PST by Neverlift
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To: Jim W N

Lighting makes big shows

Every flight is a 4th of July


76 posted on 11/07/2023 3:09:06 PM PST by Vaduz (....)
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To: Boogieman

Initially there will be a pilot on board. His vision is autonomous planes. He thinks it is a FAR easier problem to solve than land vehicles. You don’t have other idiots bent on killing you on all sides of you, you don’t have semis with four foot tall tires inches from your door, you don’t have masses of vehicles all around you.

I think he’s good at looking 10 to 20 years in the future. We see the outlines and contours of this solution today, but the bugs are still nasty (look at all the bad autonomous car snafus). He’s betting on 1) the air nav problem is a lot easier to solve, 2) tech will continue to evolve, and 3) autonomous systems will mature.


77 posted on 11/07/2023 3:27:15 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (“Occupy your mind with good thoughts or your enemy will fill them with bad ones.” ~ Thomas More)
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To: TexasGator
Thanks for posting WEF propaganda.

Sorry.

I didn't know those were paid actors.


78 posted on 11/07/2023 6:35:57 PM PST by Iron Munro (Sun Tzu: An Evil Man Will Burn His Own Nation To The Ground To Rule Over The Ashes. )
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

THE FUTURE'S NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE!


79 posted on 11/07/2023 7:00:38 PM PST by Iron Munro (Sun Tzu: An Evil Man Will Burn His Own Nation To The Ground To Rule Over The Ashes. )
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To: Iron Munro
Did you know that flying saucer ad was a UTILITY ad!? It was to thrill people about the future and get them to support building LOTS more power plants.

Hardly anybody talks about "tomorrow's higher standard of living." In fact, all the greenie talk the past 40 years has been about doing with less. And they've amped that message up past 11 the past couple decades. No cars, no fossil fuels, no farms, no personal air travel, eating bugs. Give me the good old days of unlimited possibilities!


80 posted on 11/07/2023 8:19:54 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom (“Occupy your mind with good thoughts or your enemy will fill them with bad ones.” ~ Thomas More)
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