680 replies to this topic

[Rob Randall]

^Bush pilots. Look it up.

[Mike K.]

Come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever flown on the Beaver. Maybe once? Dunno.

[North Shore]

Moosemeat:

 

Diesel:

 

 

They all have their own..unique...smell!

[Victoria Watcher]

Helijet International has announced the addition of more scheduled flights between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, as B.C. continues to reopen.

Starting June 8, the number of flights between Vancouver and Victoria will increase to five round trips each weekday, up from three daily roundtrips.

The number of roundtrip flights is set to double between Vancouver and Nanaimo, increasing daily roundtrips from two to four during the week.

https://www.cheknews...reopens-672492/

[tanker]

Why all the doom and gloom? Have to start somewhere. The first gas airplane couldn't fly very far, either.

This is basic physics at work. There's not enough energy density in batteries and never will be to support flying long distances.

[lanforod]

This is basic physics at work. There's not enough energy density in batteries and never will be to support flying long distance

 

Explain "never will be".

[Mike K.]

Nio’s stock is flying after the company announced it had performed 500,000 battery swaps on its electric vehicles.

I think that’s a solution airlines will want to implement. While the plane is out jumping the puddle batteries are charging. That’s the only way.

[Victoria Watcher]

Explain "never will be".

It’s a chemical process. And I think it has theoretical limits.

[lanforod]

Yes, for our current battery chemistries. Lithium-ion or other current battery techs won't work because the energy density will never be high enough to allow for hundreds or thousands of miles of flight.

However, I asked for an explanation because the term 'Never' implies we won't develop a battery chemistry that supports much higher energy density. Lithium-Air perhaps or something else.

[spanky123]

Nio’s stock is flying after the company announced it had performed 500,000 battery swaps on its electric vehicles.

I think that’s a solution airlines will want to implement. While the plane is out jumping the puddle batteries are charging. That’s the only way.

 

With the trial battery weighing a tonne and costing 1/3 the price of the plane, I still don't see a swap as being practical. 

[lanforod]

The weight isn't an insurmountable issue. I still don't get that concern. Price either - its a fixed one time cost.

Until battery density and recharge times increase significantly, swaps are probably the most efficient way to make this work.

[Mike K.]

You’d need three per aircraft, so yeah, it’s an expensive pursuit. These planes sometimes circle around when a large vessel is in their landing path or other aircraft are landing/taking off.

[Victoria Watcher]

Yes, for our current battery chemistries. Lithium-ion or other current battery techs won't work because the energy density will never be high enough to allow for hundreds or thousands of miles of flight.

However, I asked for an explanation because the term 'Never' implies we won't develop a battery chemistry that supports much higher energy density. Lithium-Air perhaps or something else.

 

i think we don't expect to discovery any additional elements or compounds.  so there is still a theoretical limit on how much energy we can get from a certain battery weight.  no matter what.  what we might get better at is the charging (speed) end.  we might also collect some solar energy in-flight or develop more efficient electric engines that use less power.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 June 2020 - 08:03 AM.

[spanky123]

The weight isn't an insurmountable issue. I still don't get that concern. Price either - its a fixed one time cost.

Until battery density and recharge times increase significantly, swaps are probably the most efficient way to make this work.

 

How do you exchange a one tonne battery while a plane is alongside a jetty? I guess you could build a battery exchange facility then that is just more cost you have to amortize over every flight.

[exc911ence]

How do you exchange a one tonne battery while a plane is alongside a jetty? I guess you could build a battery exchange facility then that is just more cost you have to amortize over every flight.

 

Battery Changing Surcharge for your passengers..... 

[lanforod]

i think we don't expect to discovery any additional elements or compounds.  so there is still a theoretical limit on how much energy we can get from a certain battery weight.  no matter what.  what we might get better at is the charging (speed) end.  we might also collect some solar energy in-flight or develop more efficient electric engines that use less power.

 

Yes, but that limit is already known for Li-Air as one example, and it's close to gasoline: the theoretical specific energy of a non-aqueous Li–air battery, in the charged state with Li₂O₂ product and excluding the oxygen mass, is ~40.1 MJ/kg. This is comparable to the theoretical specific energy of gasoline, ~46.8 MJ/kg

https://en.wikipedia...ium–air_battery

 

We certainly could still find more elements, though not likely in large quantities, particularly here on earth.

[Victoria Watcher]

How do you exchange a one tonne battery while a plane is alongside a jetty? I guess you could build a battery exchange facility then that is just more cost you have to amortize over every flight.

 

AI robots on a floating battery-change barge can charge it.

[Victoria Watcher]

Yes, but that limit is already known for Li-Air as one example, and it's close to gasoline: the theoretical specific energy of a non-aqueous Li–air battery, in the charged state with Li₂O₂ product and excluding the oxygen mass, is ~40.1 MJ/kg. This is comparable to the theoretical specific energy of gasoline, ~46.8 MJ/kg

https://en.wikipedia...ium–air_battery

 

We certainly could still find more elements, though not likely in large quantities, particularly here on earth.

 

ah, very good.  now we have some science.  i did not realize they were so close.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 June 2020 - 08:20 AM.

[Rob Randall]

Dilithium.

Edited by Rob Randall, 05 June 2020 - 08:21 AM.

[LJ]

Nuclear!!!