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First test flight of largest all-electric aircraft used just $5 of electricity (arstechnica.com)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/electricvehicles@slrpnk.net
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The X1 aircraft is comparable in size to a small regional airliner and can achieve a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 25,000 pounds with the help of four wing-mounted electric motors. The battery-electric propulsion system delivered more than one megawatt of power during the maiden flight.

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[–] 1 point 5 days ago (1 child)

@betanumerus@lemmy.ca

@rimu@piefed.social Only if you personally own the airplane and either are the pilot, or can afford to pay the pilot. Most pilots are not sole owners their airplane and only get to choose departure time if there is one available when they want to go (there are many ways to rent or be part owners of an airplane.)

There are commercial small airplane services with various business models. All the affordable ones are just small airlines: they run scheduled flights and you book a seat (which sell out) in advance for when the run happens.

I don't think most people will ever find small airplanes affordable. I'm paying $600/month (plus insurance and taxes) for the privilege of having a car that I can use on demand - even though I normally ride my bike, this is the price I need to pay to ensure I can get to some of the more distant places in my city. I do not have a runway in my backyard so having an airplane doesn't save me from having to also have that car payment to get to the airport (even if I did have a runway, most of my friends do not). Which is to say assuming they can get the cost of a used airplane down to a used car it still is a large expense that I doubt most people could afford.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 days ago* (1 child)

    Electric aircrafts can be cheaper to run, and therefore available to more people. This relationship is quite simple and straightforward.

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  • [–] 0 points 5 days ago (1 child)

    @betanumerus@lemmy.ca

    @rimu@piefed.social

    Sure they can be cheaper. However they are still going to be expensive. I doubt they will ever get to car costs. (A 50 year old Cesna will still sell for more than $50k). Cheaper fuel is useful, but fuel and maintenance is only a small part of the cost of owning an airplane. You still need airports and pilots - both of which are somewhat costly. Farmers can land in a field - but most of us don't have that much space. Even the rich tend to not have that much space around their mansions (they might around the second house in the country). You can get a pilots license, but it is a lot of training and most people won't.

    So pedantically you are correct. A few people who want a regular airplane but are just far enough out on the margins will be able to afford this. A few routes that commercial airlines can't quiet cover now become viable. However for the vast majority I don't see this as making any difference.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 days ago*

    Not only "pedantically", also: strictly. Fuel and maintenance are a significant part of operating an aircraft, and that is what relates to this EV forum.

    Perhaps you can find friends on a thread discussing airport and pilot costs instead of EVs. Dismissing the usefulness of electrification on an EV forum makes you look out of line.

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