Electric Aircraft and Santa Monica Airport

THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HERE!

The history of powered flight has relied on gas engines and it's been an incredible run!

While gas engines are getting cleaner and quieter, nothing compares to electric motors.

Thanks to the companies like TESLA, Nissan, Chevrolet, and Toyota, electric cars are now prevalent.

The idea of electric flight first started in the 1800s but the experimentation is still ongoing today. Some of the major aviation companies introducing electric aircraft are: Electric Cessna Grand Caravan, featured below, and Alice aircraft from the Eviation company.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST ALL-ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT MADE ITS FIRST SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT!

The all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan is a collaborative work of MagniX and AeroTEC company. The eCaravan weighs over 4 tons, has a wingspan of over 50 feet, and is good for 9 passengers which made it the largest all-electric aircraft yet!

Photos from MagniX

Photo from Rolls-Royce

How do Batteries work?

Photo from Magnix

INSIDE THE ELECTRIC
AIRCRAFT

The most important part of an electric aircraft is the battery. It is common knowledge to us that a battery is a source of power and we often see them in our controllers, flashlights, and phones. How does a battery work? According to the Australian Academy of Science, a battery is a device that stores chemical energy and converts it to electricity. There are different types and kinds of batteries, it as maybe solar-powered batteries, lithium batteries, and alkaline batteries. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) prefers lithium-ion batteries for all-electric aircraft because they pack the most power into the lowest mass of any conventional battery. The only disadvantage of lithium-ion batteries is they can short circuit and undergo thermal runaway that could end the combustion but is rare.