Originally Posted by
Deano969
Cost will drive innovation
They are striving for increased range in electric cars, obviously with the same or smaller batteries, this will have flow on effects for aviation
The cost of a 100kg battery pack for a car verses say 500kg now will likely be less and as they continue to reduce battery weights for cars and trucks, again, this will flow to aviation
You understand that part of the range issue with car and truck batteries (along with aviation) is the weight of the batteries....
It's what I'm saying- no they aren't. The current range is marketable and a car can carry the 500KG pack and it gives sufficient range to be practical. Yes, a lighter battery would give an incrmental change to range, but not enough to justify increased cost. The biggest research at the moment is into Graphine-metal batteies, which would not have a significantly beter energy dencity, but would be cheaper and much faster to charge,
The technology requirements of road transport and aviation diverge at some point, and that divergence is meaning the research isn't helping aviation.
The simple math is that a 2 tonne car has gone from 60KG of fuel to a 500KG battery- an increase of 20% or so.
An aircraft may have 30% of its TOW as fuel- increase THAT by a fatcor of 8.....