Well a shed load of people have been promising it, but the French actually went and done it. The world’s first electric airplane took to the air last month for 48 minutes powered only by a 25 hp electric motor and a bunch of Lithium-Polymer batteries. It’s not the first aircraft to fly using electrical power, there have been gliders and concept craft before, but this is the first time that a standard light airplane has managed to do it, and for so long.
The plane carried 47 kg of batteries, cruised at 90 km/h and the cost of the electricity for the flight was about €1.00 (compared with €60.00 for conventional aviation fuel). OK, so the batteries and motor cost about €12,000, but hey you can’t have everything can you? It sure looks like we’re going to need some new nuclear power stations pretty soon! More here.