United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the world, has shared preliminary plans to get an electric fleet of planes airborne at a virtual conference.
The aviation giant is optimistic about the endeavor and believes it could have electric powered commercial flights by the end of the decade.
"We want to fly on routes that are less than 200 miles," Mike Leskinen said during the video conference. "As that energy density increases, that same aircraft will have a range of 250 miles, 300 miles, which is going to give us a lot more utility here connecting our hub."
According to Leskinen, the battery-powered planes will get a chance to prove themselves.
A year ago, United purchased 100 battery-powered planes that can seat 19 passengers.
The founder of the company said that the planes will be able to refill in under half an hour.
The airplane won't be taking off any time soon, as it still requires certification, but Forslund predicts they'll get approval by 2028
United plans to use sustainable fuel for long haul flights in order to be carbon neutral by the year 2050.
In December of 2021, the airline became the first in the world to complete a passenger flight. Critics were skeptical about the ability to scale up the technology.
The United have ordered 200 vertical take-off and landing capable craft from Eve Air Mobility.
It is clear that the airline is willing to throw money at the problem in order to be seen as green.
It could be a game-changing effort. It will be a challenge to get to carbon neutral.
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