Why Aren't Planes Electric Yet?

Electric planes are already here. But they don't look like I thought...
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Are electric planes possible? And if so, when are they coming?? Turns out, they’re already here.

For this episode of Huge If True, I went to visit an electric plane company called Beta. Before the shoot, I thought the weight of batteries basically meant electric planes weren’t that useful, and wouldn’t be for a long time. What I learned is that in the last 10 years, we’ve gotten a lot better at making batteries (look at your phone!). Those gains mean electric planes are starting to do more. And that’s a big deal - for carbon emissions and climate change, but also for redesigning how planes look and fly. The future of aviation will look very different than the planes you take today.

I couldn’t fly in one of the electric planes (trust me, I tried!), but I did get up in the air another way…

Chapters:
00:00 Electric planes are here
00:56 Why are electric planes important?
02:16 Why are there no electric planes?
02:42 Thank you Athletic Greens!
03:36 How do electric planes work?
05:52 What do electric planes look like?
06:42 What is VTOL?
07:48 How do electric planes slow climate change?
09:14 What is the future of airplanes?

Sources and further reading:
- Battery math for volumetric energy density (Wh/L):
2010: Aviation fuel is ~30-34 MJ/L = ~8300-9000 Wh/L = ~100x lithium ion batteries in 2010 which were about 90 (source: Dept of Energy).
- Battery math for gravimetric energy density (Wh/kg):
2010: Aviation fuel is 46.2 MJ/kg (roughly) = 12833 Wh/kg = 12833 / 250 = ~50x lithium ion batteries in 2010 which were roughly 250 (source: Beta).
2020: Aviation fuel remains ~46.2 MJ/kg = 12833 Wh/kg = 12833 / 370 = ~34x lithium ion batteries in 2020 which were roughly 250 (source: Beta).

Bio:
Cleo Abram is an Emmy-nominated video producer and journalist. Cleo produces detailed explainer stories about technology and economics. She wrote the Coding and Diamonds episodes of Vox’s Netflix show, Explained, was the host and a senior producer of Vox’s first ever daily show, Answered, as well as a host and producer of Vox’s YouTube Originals show, Glad You Asked. She now makes her own independent show, Huge If True. Each episode takes on one big technology innovation or idea, explains what it is, and helps people imagine the ways it could improve the world we live in by answering one simple question: If this works, what could go right?

Gear I use:
Camera: Sony A7SIII
Lens: Sony 16–35 mm F2.8 GM
Audio: Sennheiser SK AVX and Zoom H4N Pro

Music: Musicbed

—
Welcome to the joke down low:

Will invisible airplanes ever be a thing?
I just can’t see them taking off.

Find a way to use the word “invisible” in a comment to let me know you’re a real one ;)

[ZachHall]

Cleo, you know that your graphics and editing is superb. But they aren't my favorite part of your videos. You have such a gift in framing these conversations and giving the audience enough context to feel both educated and hopeful. I now CARE about electric plans, something that was invisible to me, after just 10 minutes, which is WILD. Love watching your videos, appreciate all the work it takes to do them.

[venkatsubramaniam]

I work in this industry and know I want to work on these types of aircraft. Thanks for bringing this to the public stage in an awesome optimistic way. We need more coverage like this to show the public how close the world is to a better vision. Love your show!

[trademark]

I love your positive perspective. At times we lose that balance with what we're seeing on the news. You're doing a great job

[MarcColbeckCCP]

So, as a paramedic, I have to point out the obvious use of these eVTOLs as air ambulances. VTOL is an amazing benefit, plus they'll be quieter, and they won't stink. We could start using these now. That's pretty exciting to me. They'll help us help more people.

[christopherbedford]

My grandmother was about 10 years old when the Wright bros flew for the first time. She was 70-something when men landed on the moon. No reason we didn't have a similar progress trajectory in the 60 years after that, but we arguably didn't - perhaps there has been almost as much improvement 🤷‍♂ but almost for sure we are back on track now.

Your explanations Cleo are both concise and clear and you address the issues without being patronising. Or umming and aahhing, which is *_such_* a big thing in my book. Well done and thank you 😁

[pxkqd]

Please give one of these to Taylor Swift, that alone will halve current global emissions.

[keshavjha]

This video is fun and entertaining! Wish Cleo had more content

[joshuacamarena]

I struggle with a few mental illnesses. I'm currently in a depressive episode. I just wanted to say how much watching these videos help make me feel hopeful. Thank you for that.

[jackdaniels]

How she only has 250k subs is a mystery to me. Consistently some of the best content out there. Keep up the great work!

[crackersdrake]

Just found your channel. I love it!
The thing I appreciate the most isn't the information (which is interesting and informative), but your attitude. Your optimism is so nice to see. So many people are the opposite, and it can make a person feel dismayed about our future.
So thank you. Keep that attitude and keep up the awesome work! :)

[SwedishVFR]

We tried electric airplanes at our airport, they have a flight school that uses mostly electric airplanes. The key is to figure out how to fly them despite their limitations. A flight school is exactly that! 45 minutes flight time is perfect for a lesson. When they can fly twice that, then we might find another use for those.

[astrnox]

Cleo, I just want to say that I'm amazed at how far you have come too. I've been following your work for about a year before you left Vox, and the content you've been putting out just keeps getting better. I'm learning new things each time. It also gives me hope that the seemingly intractable problems we face today are being chipped away every day by wonderful people and companies like Beta.

[greentechnerd]

You managed to communicate complex topics like energy density and transport transformation effortlessly, clearly, simply, and you made it fun to boot. This video is a masterclass in communication and also a must-watch for those seeking to understand the revolution currently underway in electric aviation. Thank you for all the work that went into this video - it's outstanding on so many levels.

[jorgeluis]

IDK how to express how much joy your channel brings me. thank you. you've quite literally gotten me out of some really dark places.

[brkram]

Great video. You really got a talent for carrying the conversation and engaging the audience. My only complaint is, at the end of the video I was left with a feeling of incompleteness, I was hoping for more info on what the company was planning to do, roadmaps, and some more technical info.

[JaredPorcenaluk]

Great video! The one bit I’d like to add is that battery density and weight is only part of the equation. The efficiency of electric motors is a huge part of why EVs can travel as far as they do even if batteries don’t contain the same energy density as gasoline.

In cars, gasoline engines are only about 36% efficient while electric motors are about 98% efficient. I wouldn’t be surprised if the same sort of ratio were true in airplanes!

[atabaycetin]

As a person with severe ADHD, your videos are perfect for me to go into full hyperfocus mode and get lost in an increadibly complicated, yet amazing concept. Oh, also to do nothing that I actually need to do:) I know, it doesn't sound a good thing; but, this is the greatest compliment I can possible give to a creator:)

[RamadaArtist]

I live in Vermont and the fact that you actually went to Beta makes me *so happy.* They've been blowing up the local news lately; I love that they're getting wider attention.

[FranciscoSciaraffia]

Optimism is my favorite type of content ♥

[brammiddelkamp]

600 miles is still a long way to fly in an electic plane. On top of that they become more inefficiënt the longer you go and at some point synthetic or bio-based kerosine will be cheaper than the energy spend on charging and the time lost on the ground waiting to charge. Also for even shorter distances you probably should just take a car or a train. I think batteries have to improve quite a lot for electric planes to become feasible.