The aviation industry is responsible for around 3.5% of all planet-overheating air pollution. One Dutch aerospace startup is attempting to provide a solution to that problem with something that, until recently, was thought to be essentially impossible: battery-powered electric airplanes.
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Elysian, the startup, estimates that its E9X model could take 90 passengers up to 497 miles using battery-powered planes, New Atlas reported. The company also said that it is confident that it will be able to achieve a 621-mile range. It is currently aiming to create a prototype and "take to the skies" in 2033.
While battery-electric airplanes certainly sound great in theory, the realities of battery technology have prevented them from coming to fruition so far based on practical considerations. In short, any existing battery large to power an airplane is too large and heavy to build an airplane around. Although battery technology continues to make advances, current batteries have simply not been energy-dense enough to be viable for this application.
But it's those advances that Elysian is banking on. The company pointed to CATL's ultra-high-density "condensed battery" as one component that could make its electric planes work.
Even with those advancements, Elysian faces an uphill battle. New Atlas was not particularly bullish on its chances of success, writing that, "If Elysian is really planning to design, prototype, test, certify and go into serial manufacture on a quirky new airframe for a 90-seat commercial airliner, the company will need to dig up billions — probably even tens of billions — of dollars to get there."
Instead, the publication gave a bit more credence to the idea of hydrogen planes. Most attempts to make planes less polluting center on hydrogen fuel, which burns cleanly but unfortunately creates massive amounts of air pollution while it is produced. The technology around this issue is also advancing rapidly — but, at present, "green hydrogen" remains prohibitively expensive.
Ultimately, the technology for both electric airplanes and clean hydrogen-fueled airplanes should become a reality, saving huge amounts of planet-overheating air pollution from being released into the atmosphere. Whether Elysian, or perhaps a different Dutch aerospace startup, is the first to get there remains to be seen.
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