Cars are not the only means of transportation getting the electric treatment nowadays. Planes are also being fitted with electric motors, either in hybrid form (where there’s some form of conventional motor backup) or pure electric. Now one innovative German company has come up with a zero carbon footprint solution which is really interesting.

The PC-Aero Elektra One electric plane took its maiden flight last summer, and performed flawlessly. The aircraft runs from a pure electric motor and Lithium batteries, with solar cells adding additional power capabilities. The plane features a range of up to 500 kilometers (or four hours) and a cruising speed of 160 km/h, but the really cool part is the ‘solar hanger‘ charging option, which will make the whole thing zero carbon and dramatically reduce running costs in the right locations.

At this rate it won’t be long before we see electric planes that are cheaper to run than today’s cars, which will be astonishing. Of course the real breakthrough will come when we get electric commercial aircraft, but it’s still exciting stuff.