Boeing-backed, electric-hybrid airliner set to hit
market in 2022
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 [October 05, 2017]
By Alwyn Scott
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Seattle-area startup
backed by the venture arms of Boeing Co and JetBlue Airways Corp plans
to bring a small hybrid-electric airliner to market by 2022 that can
dramatically reduce the travel time and cost of trips under 1,000 miles
(1,600 km), it said on Thursday.
The first of several aircraft planned by Zunum Aero would seat up to 12
passengers and be powered by two electric motors.
Electric-vehicle batteries, such as those made by Tesla Inc and
Panasonic Corp, would power the motor. A supplemental gas engine and
electrical generator would be used to give the plane a range of 700
miles, Matt Knapp, co-founder and chief aeronautic engineer of the
Kirkland, Washington-based company, said in an interview.
Zunum has no commitment to Tesla or Panasonic.
A larger plane seating up to 50 passengers would follow at the end of
the next decade, and the range of both would increase to about 1,000
miles as battery technology improves, Knapp said.
The planes eventually would fly solely on battery power, and are being
designed to fly with one pilot and to eventually be remotely piloted, he
added.
Several companies, including Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] and
European planemaker Airbus, are working on intra-urban electric-powered
self-flying cars.
Zunum does not expect to be the first to certify an electric-powered
aircraft with regulators. It is aiming to fill a market for regional
travel for airlines, where private jets and commercial jetliners are too
costly for many to use.
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"Airlines are very keen to know how to fly a shorter distance and make money on
it," Knapp said.
Recent advances in electric-vehicle and autonomous technology, along with
lightweight electric motors and carbon composite airframes would reduce the cost
of flying Zunum's aircraft to about 8 cents per seat-mile, about one-fifth that
of a small jet or turboprop plane, Knapp said.
"We're getting airline pricing down on a small plane and doing it for short
distances," Knapp said. "That kind of aircraft doesn't currently exist."
Zunum announced plans for electric-hybrid aircraft in April, and revealed that
Boeing HorizonX and JetBlue Technology Ventures had invested in its initial
round of venture funding. On Thursday it disclosed specifications and a
timetable for the vehicle entering service.
Zunum says the plane would cruise at about 340 miles an hour and at altitudes of
about 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) - slower and lower than jets.
The plane would cut travel time by allowing passengers to fly from thousands of
regional airports, avoiding big hubs used by major airlines and airport security
required for larger planes. About 96 percent of U.S. air traffic travels through
1 percent of its airports, Zunum said.
Current battery technology can only power the plane for about 100 miles so a
gas-powered engine is used to generate electricity to power the motors for
additional range.
(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Susan Thomas)
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