Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by lutusp 3376 days ago
Airlines that switch to electrics will have to resolve a logistical issue -- do you switch batteries between flights, or do you need to buy twice as many aircraft, so half are flying and half are charging? I suspect that battery-switching will be the answer, even though the batteries will be a significant percentage of the aircraft's volume.
1 comments

It's already possible to swap the battery pack on a Tesla Model S faster than a gasoline car can be refilled.[1] That is special equipment, but presumably modular batteries that are quickly bolted into a large cavity on the underside of a plane would be possible. It might only make sense in hubs, or highly traveled routes to put the equipment in place, though. Slower charging when the plane is on the ground overnight at a regional airport for example probably wouldn't be a problem.