Hybrid airliners could come to dominate the skies
They use both orthodox engines and electric motors in an optimum mix
STEADY IMPROVEMENTS in battery technology, driven along by the electrification of road transport, are helping air taxis and other small electric aircraft get airborne. But even the best lithium-ion cells are still far from being able to power the workhorses of civil aviation: short-haul airliners carrying 150 or so passengers. An electric version would not be able to rise from the ground, because of the weight of the batteries required to drive its engines. Nevertheless, many aerospace experts continue to think that electric flight is the future, at least in hybrid form.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Hybrid vigour”
More from Science & technology
Can you breathe stress away?
It won’t hurt to try. But scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind
The Economist’s science and technology internship
We invite applications for the 2025 Richard Casement internship
A better understanding of Huntington’s disease brings hope
Previous research seems to have misinterpreted what is going on
Is obesity a disease?
It wasn’t. But it is now
Volunteers with Down’s syndrome could help find Alzheimer’s drugs
Those with the syndrome have more of a protein implicated in dementia
Should you start lifting weights?
You’ll stay healthier for longer if you’re strong