Commercial electric aviation could be possible in five years
The development of electric planes is still in its early stages. Battery duration and the small capacity of the planes are among the biggest problems still to be solved for the commercial use of electric aviation. The challenges may, however, provide countries like Finland a chance to lead the way.
“The plane models under development can fly a distance of 400 kilometres, carrying 20 passengers,” says Postdoctoral Researcher Stefan Baumeister from the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics. “This distance covers most cities in Finland. As a country with low population and long distances between cities, Finland could be among the first countries to heavily rely and invest on electric aviation.”
Based on current forecasts, electric planes could be commercialised as soon as 2025.
Baumeister continues: “Electric planes can also operate on smaller runways than planes using fossil fuels. This makes adding new flight connections to the Helsinki Airport possible since many airports in Finland have runways that are too short for commercial use at the moment.”
Unquestionable reductions in emissions
When looking at travel time, flying beats all other forms of transportation. If planes were to run on electricity instead of fossil fuels, would emissions be as low or lower than in other forms of transportation?
“Replacing current planes with electric planes would reduce greenhouse emissions by 21%–64% depending on the distance travelled and the model of the plane,” says Baumeister. “These figures could be reached by using the current sources of electricity. If the share of renewable energy sources will increase, flying could one day be free of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Using current technologies, the emissions of traveling by an electric plane correspond approximately to traveling by car. Train still keeps its place as the most environmentally friendly way to travel. The key factor is the way to produce electricity.
“The Finnish government could also affect the speed of development by encouraging companies to implement new technologies. The Covid-19 crisis has hit airlines hard and it is unlikely they will survive without support from the state. One condition for this support could be that the airlines are obliged to use some of the money to electrify their planes.”
Source: Stefan Baumeister, Abraham Leung, Tim Ryley: “The emission reduction potentials of First Generation Electric Aircraft (FGEA) in Finland”. Journal of Transport Geography, Volume 85, 2020, 102730, ISSN 0966-6923, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102730.
Further information:
Stefan Baumeister
Postdoctoral Researcher
stefan.c.baumeister@jyu.fi
040 805 4122
