More and more sizable companies are placing bets on electric aviation, some of them very near term. No one is expecting large long-distance planes to run on batteries, but smaller short-haul planes appear to be getting closer.
Rolls Royce, which is developing electric engines is partnered with Italian planemaker Tecnam, which is mainly known for commuter-size turboprops but which has been interested in the electric market; they have teamed with Scandinavian regional carrier Wideroe on a plan to fly 20-passenger commuter electrics by 2026.
On the North American side of the Atlantic, Blade Urban Air Mobility, a small-plane carrier, has a deal with BETA Technologies to buy 20 of its electric vertical-takeoff aircraft. UPS has ordered 150 of the planes.
Elsewhere, United Airlines is in a deal to buy potentially 200 electric air taxis.
