Hopes are sky-high for electric planes

If you are a fan of electric cars, get ready. Electric planes could be coming soon to the commercial market.

Zunum Aero, a startup based in Bothell, Wash., is designing a hybrid electric, 10-to-12-passenger plane it hopes can be used for commercial flights early in the next decade. Such an aircraft would produce fewer emissions than a conventional model and cost less to operate, according to Waleed Said, power chief technology officer.

“We are laser-focused on doing a flight test,” said Said, who is working on the plane's powertrain at the company's Elgin, Ill., facility. A test is planned for next year.

Zunum has to overcome two major challenges before a plane is ready for commercial use. The main technical problem is the weight of the battery, which has to be both light enough for the plane to get off the ground and powerful enough to fly it. The other hurdle is getting the plane certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. Zunum believes it can overcome both hurdles and fill a need for 500to 700-mile trips.

Said explained that most people who need to travel about 500 miles choose to drive but might fly instead if flights were convenient and cheap enough. Airlines have cut back on short-haul flights because they cost too much. Hybrid electric planes would be cheaper to operate than jet-fueled, conventional planes because of lower costs for fuel and maintenance, Said said. They also could use small, regional airports, rather than big time-consuming centers like O'Hare or LAX.