A typical high-end 18650 li-ion cell from 1996 was 1400mAh.
A typical high-end 18650 from 2023 is about 3200mAh.
In other words, it took 27 years for battery tech to achieve a bit over a doubling in energy capacity.
Even if we wait another 20+ years and batteries double again, it will still be an order of magnitude less dense than gas. In a plane, this is absolutely critical.
I want to be flying electric planes, hell I'd settle for just an electric car that got somewhat good range. But battery tech has taken eons to get to where it is.
We can only hope to get some quantum leap in storage density or we're going to be flying with dinosaurs for a long time.
A typical high-end 18650 from 2023 is about 3200mAh.
In other words, it took 27 years for battery tech to achieve a bit over a doubling in energy capacity.
Even if we wait another 20+ years and batteries double again, it will still be an order of magnitude less dense than gas. In a plane, this is absolutely critical.
I want to be flying electric planes, hell I'd settle for just an electric car that got somewhat good range. But battery tech has taken eons to get to where it is. We can only hope to get some quantum leap in storage density or we're going to be flying with dinosaurs for a long time.