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The shipping company DHL is the first customer for Eviation's electric cargo planes

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Logistics provider DHL Express is adding electric cargo planes to its fleet, becoming the first customer for Eviation, a Seattle-based electric aviation company. Why it matters: As delivery on demand explodes, shipping and logistics providers like DHL are under pressure to make every mode of their operations more sustainable — aircraft, trucks, last-mile delivery vans, and even their buildings. (www.yahoo.com) More...

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tsberry901
tsberry901 7
Thanks but no thanks.
cparks
cparks 2
Agreed.

At the moment I'm afraid electric aviation is an extremely niche capability, one not ready for pretty much anything else. While that of course might (*might*) change it isn't ready for anything else.

Especially commercial use. That said I certainly do encourage companies to explore its use and find ways to implement it successfully, but I'm afraid with the current political push for so-called green energy such ideas are less based on science and more based on political desire.
MultiComm
MultiComm 1
I agree. I can definitely see potential value for shorter feeder flights and more so in cargo like this that is already single pilot style flying. I do t ever see it becoming a mainstream concept for heavy aircraft or long ranger aircraft unless somehow cost effective solar becomes available.
E1craZ4life
Edward Bardes 1
Even then, they wouldn't be able to fly at night or in cloudy weather.
Propwash122
Peter Fuller 1
Why not? The electric motors will be powered by batteries, not by on-board solar panels.
wecsam
David Tsai 3
This is great. Let DHL test these planes out. Maybe they'll work; maybe they won't. I'm sure that DHL can take a loss if one happens. I don't know why people are so negative about new propulsion technologies.
DracoVolantis
DracoVolantis 3
"A first flight is scheduled for later this year". So the thing hasn't been even tested yet. Pass the popcorn.
Cleffer
Cleffer 7
I wonder what the carbon footprint of the power plant is that is going to supply the charge for the fleet of those planes?
avionik99
avionik99 5
As long as you have hours in between flights to recharge its all good.
wopri
With 30 minutes of recharging time for every hour of flight that shouldn’t be too much of a constraint.
MultiComm
MultiComm 3
Somewhat valid point here. DHL at their immediate stops are very efficient at turning the planes and getting them on their way. I don’t know much about the feeder routes and times but on the heavies, they routinely sit for several hours waiting on “the sort” in CVG or if at the end of the line as much as 10-12 hours waiting for the return to hub window leaving plenty of time to charge.

They currently only do one sort per day out of CVG during the overnight hours. Once Amazon moves to their own facility then the CVG DHL sort could expand and become more efficient but that still relies on the inbound cargo. Add a day sort then than requires adding twice as many flights inbound from Asia or Europe - which would be dependent on having enough cargo to justify the routes (which in my mind there is no doubt they could fill the aircraft if they were available). .
wowens1157
William Owens 1
The batteries being built by the CHINESE are filled with minerals mined by SLAVES and CHILDREN... from their blood the Socialist/Commies get the payoff... and the US gets the BLAME.
sparkie624
sparkie624 6
LOL.. that Coal Power takes a while to recharge them.. LOL.
brianrush
and when those batteries end of life - their pollutants will cause great issues.
redsquare22
DB Vesty 1
Unless your in NY. No coal energy generated there :)
Cleffer
Cleffer 4
I believe there's reasons why the FAA has regs for two pilots... Just sayin'.

Not sure DHL is going to get away with the "One pilot" thing...
Ricovandijk
Rico van Dijk 5
As long as it stays below 12500lb should be ok
topgunnh
Peter McGrath 1
Especially since the "backup" plan is for one pilot to "crank like hell"!
hulakai
Kevin Holly 1
It says it CAN be flown by one pilot... doesn't say ONLY one pilot
wmmoseley
mike moseley 5
Probably a good technology for short flights but batteries may be to heavy for the longer routes. I have an electric car(Tesla model 3), which is light years more enjoyable to drive than my previous German made sports sedan. Can't image what it would be like to fly with electric propulsion (gotta be super quire and smooth if nothing else).

This is the future as out of necessity utilities are moving away from fossil fuels to generate electricity, this move will only accelerate once the massive fossil fuel subsides are gone. Not sure what propulsion technologies will evolve for the long haul aircraft - hydrogen, nuclear? Only a hundred years ago or so we had the Wright Flyer. Whats next?
Propwash122
Peter Fuller 2
Cape Air is taking a hard look at this airplane for passenger service on their short-distance routes in New England:

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-07-22/cape-air-prepares-operate-eviations-alice-electric-commuter
techart
Jan Halvarson 2
The Wright brothers would never have gotten off the ground in an electric plane.
fwaviator63
A. Highsmith 2
Well, I hope the holding pattern, if required, is not too long.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 0
Would suck if batteries were low but then making sure the plane doesn’t run out of fuel is an issue in other aircraft. Pilots seem to manage the fuel thing most of the time but I do recall being at the races in Gimli Manitoba once…
topgunnh
Peter McGrath 2
What's the battery backup plan for...batteries?
rrbldrpete
After reading the comments below, except for a few, these folks have not been out of the country much. If we don't get that Infrastructure Bill passed, and the money out there, we will continue to be way back in the line on any transportation development. Example --of the top 25 airports in the world --none are in the US. The US is great in many respects, but we are a decade or more behind most developed countries in power generation --and the trains, planes and automobiles of the future (sounds like a title for a movie or something!) Lol.
JacksonRentsAtlanta
Will stupid never stop? Electricity must be produced somewhere. If the planes are electric their power is produced via coal or nuclear or some other way somewhere in the nation. OMG. This is just deferring the pollution.
brianrush
the batteries in this will cause more CO2 to produce than if it was jet fuelled. plus batteries have a short life and then will add pollutants at their death. bury them all in China maybe.
lynwilliams
lyn williams 4
not only that...but the loss in the power delivery system can be quite high. The power is generated perhaps hundreds of miles a way then is used mostly to heat the wires and transformers in the delivery system.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 0
The greenies don’t care about things like basic physics. Remember electric good petroleum bad.
hulakai
Kevin Holly 2
I don't know....will you?
wecsam
David Tsai 0
I doubt that DHL cares much about pollution. If it's cheaper to operate, they'll use it.
wowens1157
William Owens 2
The infrastructure bill is nothing but a GREEN ENERGY BILL... Not true infrastructure: Only $110 billion of the so-called $1 trillion-plus bipartisan infrastructure package goes toward road, bridges, and other major projects that the American people generally consider “infrastructure,” according to an analysis done by Club for Growth. The remaining $1 trillion are “Green New Deal provisions. Also, DHL is one of the companies that contributes to B L M, which we all know is a Communist propaganda outlet... Part of the Package also puts aviation out of business in preference of TRAINS for transportation. Put that in your pipe and smoke it...
hulakai
Kevin Holly 2
And here come all the naysayers... I knew you wouldn't disappoint.

Look up in the sky folks. Unlimited electricity from that little round ball up there. Do some homework before you complain about pollution from generating electricity for cars and now planes. You might actually learn something.
E1craZ4life
Edward Bardes 2
Would airplanes be able to be equipped with solar panels that could operate during flight?
brianrush
and what do you propose to charge these batteries??? coal, nuke or ........
wecsam
David Tsai 3
I think that, by "little round ball up there," Kevin means solar.
DRotten
D Rotten 1
Mmmmmm......good luck with that! Just don't come anywhere near MY house! One little EMP burst......ALL electric planes FALL FROM THE SKY!!! #YouCantFixStupid!
Ricovandijk
Rico van Dijk 1
I designed this one years ago in Kerbal Space Program. ;-)
sparkie624
sparkie624 -2
We have Coal Powered Cars... Now we are getting Coal Powered Planes.. LOL!
wopri
In the good old USA, coal was used for 19% of electricity generation in 2020, down from 30% in 2016. The coal powered electric car or airplane is a myth.

redsquare22
DB Vesty 2
No coal power in NY for years :)
bentwing60
bentwing60 -2
The source of the power delivered to the charger is moot, but not a myth. The reality is a battery powered anything can't live without them and lion batteries are nasty in every way save power density. The mining of lithium is heavily polluting in the local areas that beneficiaries don't see, the batteries burn vociferously when 'they' decide to, and end life disposal is not without cost or consequence. Face it , the 'greenies and swamp are out to destroy the 'Universe' as soon a bezos and musk provide an electric vehicle to get there!
wowens1157
William Owens 1
Exactly Correct!

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