Current and Future Possibilities for Electric Flight Infrastructure
By Philip Harman
The purpose of this project was to study the current state of the electric flight industry, discuss some of the challenges associated, and explore possible solutions moving forward. For the notebooks and datasets used, check out my GitHub.
​
The Problem: Short-Range Flights
It’s no secret that air travel is a major source of pollution today. As of 2015, the aviation industry accounted for 11% of the transportation-related emissions in the United States. Despite a brief decline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, flight demand is projected to increase in the years to come (and flight related pollution with it).
​
One of the most inefficient practices in air travel is short-range flights. In 2010, NASA found that the average flight of 500 miles or more produces 25% of its emissions during landing/take-off (LTO). For a shorter flight, this percentage of emissions during LTO increases. This means that, proportionally, shorter flights deliver less value (miles flown with payload) at a higher coast (fuel consumed and emissions produced).
​
So, how common are these short flights? The distribution below is based on a sample of flights from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics collected in Q3 of 2019. As shown, nearly 40% of domestic flights in the United States were less than 500 miles (or 6.44 million flights per year, based on estimates from the FAA).
​
​
The most discussed solution is simple: instead of taking short range flights, just take a bus or train. But these alternatives have a clear problem: the added travel time will continue to cause many people to view flying as the more attractive option. Fortunately, there could be another solution on the horizon.
​
The Opportunity: Electric Flight
Electric flight could soon replace short range traditional flights. Companies like Eviation are currently working towards delivering small passenger planes with a 440 nautical mile range (or approximately 500 miles, which is why I’ve focused on the 500 mile threshold in this post). And while most manufacturers are currently focused on the luxury and personal use markets, it’s a fair assumption that electric flight will continue growing into the mass market (following a similar trend as what we have seen with electric automobiles in recent years).
​
The beauty of small, short-range flights is that they are able to utilize an extensive network of airports that large carriers can’t (not efficiently, at least). The map below might look familiar. It shows all of the public airports in the mainland United States classified as “Medium” and “Large” by the NPIAS. It is through these airports that the majority of large commercial flights are operated.
​
Now try toggling the filter in the lower corner right of the map. Note that there are many, many more airports available that are not under the “Medium” and “Large” categorization. With that in mind, it becomes clear that leveraging this larger network with short range electric flights would have a massive impact not only on air travel pollution, but also on congestion in and around larger airports. However, electric flights present another problem.
​
The Big Hurdle: Charging Infrastructure
Much like electric cars, a challenge for electric flight is the increased time to recharge (as compared to the traditional time to refuel). For commercial electric flight to be economic, direct current (DC) fast charging will be essential. The problem is, DC fast charging ports can be more expensive than lower level models by an order of magnitude. This is because DC chargers require additional infrastructure which enables them to convert power from the alternating current (AC) grid.
​
The Solution: Pre-Existing DC Infrastructure
To work around this costly issue, one proposed solution is to utilize the DC infrastructure that already exists. In the map below, I’ve displayed all current DC fast chargers in the mainland United States, sourced from a National Renewable Energy Laboratory API.
​
That’s a lot of chargers, but they obviously are not all accessible by the nearest airport. To drill down further, I cross-referenced this dataset with the coordinates of the airports displayed up above. I then calculated the distances between chargers and airports, and finally narrowed down to airports that have at least one DC charger available within a 1-mile radius (notebooks from this process are available on my GitHub). The outcome is displayed below.
​
​
All of the airports above have a DC charger installed nearby, but it’s important to note that not all of these chargers can practically be accessed by a plane from the tarmac. In addition, some of the chargers that are accessible may still need adaptations to be compatible with airplane fixtures. The intent here is only to show where opportunities exist.
​
By filtering through the “Airport Name” box in the map above, you can also see all of the airports in this filtered dataset that lie within a 500-mile radius of your selected airport. Take a look for yourself, and see where you could be flying in years to come (via electric!).
​
In closing, electric flight will almost certainly gain a foothold in the short and mid-range flight markets in the near future. Developing charging networks will still be an extensive and costly process, but it is my hope that strategically utilizing pre-existing infrastructure will get the ball rolling.
​
​
Helpful Sources