It’s Boom Times for Startups Trying to Electrify Aviation

tech.hindustantimes.com:

 Since the Wright brothers invented the airplane in 1903, one aspect of how we fly hasn't changed. Evolving plane design and improved engines aside, almost all modern aircraft have one thing in common: They're powered by combustible fuels. 

That may be changing, though. Just as electric cars have started to revolutionize driving, a growing group of startups are now looking to electrify air transport. 

Take Beta Technologies. Last month, the company flew a battery-operated aircraft — designed with fixed wings and vertical take-off and landing capabilities — from its Vermont headquarters to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The journey totaled 1,730 miles (2,780 kilometers) and marked the company's first product delivery to the US Air Force, which will pressure-test Beta's inaugural machine.

Joby Aviation, headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, delivered one of its own all-electric air taxis to Edwards Air Force Base in September; each taxi can carry one pilot and four passengers. Last year, meanwhile, Arlington, Washington-based Eviation Aircraft conducted a test flight of a nine-seater commuter plane it calls “Alice.” The company said it had received almost 300 orders for Alice aircraft as of late 2022, totaling more than $2 billion.

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As the aviation industry faces pressure to decarbonize, electric alternatives will continue to multiply. At least 60 companies are now involved in the research and development of fixed-wing electric aircraft, according to BloombergNEF. The consultancy Roland Berger estimates there are 100 electric aviation programs in development around the world. 

But major hurdles remain before the technology can go mainstream, including battery limitations, premium