Tesla with wings? Electric jet closer to take-off
From electric cars to electric planes…the founder of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk is now setting his sights firmly in the clouds with his latest thoughts for an electric-powered aircraft.
Elon Musk is also the CEO of SpaceX which sponsors the Hyperloop Pod competition for students to design a revolutionary transport system. I was interested to hear him speak at the Hyperloop award ceremony in Texas this week, where he talked about vertical takeoff and landing capabilities (VTOL) of an electric jet (meaning it would not require a runway). He thinks he has ‘something that might be close’.
I love the driving experience of an electric car, and have been testing a few recently. As a pilot, I’ll also be first in the queue to take the controls of a ‘flying Tesla’ – if the idea gets off the ground.
One of the biggest issues is of course battery manufacture and technology. The cost and capability of electric batteries means that electric aircraft are currently too limited on range and speed to create enough commercial potential.
It’s an exciting thought that Musk could be taking the idea more seriously, but he’s not the first to try electric planes.
The E-Fan is an all-electric plane from Airbus, which I (and crowds of others) enjoyed as a highlight of last year’s Paris Air Show. The E-Fan also broke records last year by becoming the first electric aircraft to cross the channel in July 2015, recreating Louis Bleriot’s historic feat from over 100 years ago.
Here’s how the E-Fan compares to Elon Musk’s Model s 85 D Tesla:
Here’s hoping that electric aircraft like the E-Fan will be given a run for their money with a new concept from Elon Musk, and that it’s not too far in the future before we can include electric jets in the PrivateFly network.
In the meantime, we offer a range of over 7,000 aircraft globally for charter. Contact our expert Flight Team or call us on +44 (0) 1747 642 777 (24hrs)
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