Norway continues to lead the electric revolution both on the road and above it, with authorities and airway companies focusing on introducing electric planes for passengers by 2025.
The first step in that direction was taken the other day at the Oslo airport, when a 2-seat, light, electric plane was taken out for testing. You can see it in action in the video below.
The plane, named Alpha Electro G2 and built by Pipistrel in Slovenia, weighs just 570kg (1256 lbs) at takeoff, and though a bit more unstable in the strong wind, proved considerably more silent than its traditional counterparts. More importantly, it’s green and, as such, it holds the key to the future.
Transport Minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen tells the media that passenger electric flights could become a reality by 2025, paving the way to replacing all other planes in due time. Though optimistic about this first endeavor, further testing is still needed to see if the plane is safe.
“This is... a first example that we are moving fast forward,” Solvik-Olsen says. “We do have to make sure it is safe - people won’t fly if they don’t trust it.”
Boeing and Airbus are also involved in the electric revolution, developing an electric aircraft. Solvik-Olsen says that, with battery prices coming down, it would be feasible to turn all domestic flights electric by 2040.
For that to happen, companies should be discouraged from using fuel on their fleet, Arild Hermstad, a leader of the Green Party, told the media at the launch at the Oslo airport. And there is only one way to do that: by making the prices on jet fuel prohibitive. This way, the electric option will be the more convenient one.
“This is a start... but we have to make jet fuel a lot more expensive,” Hermstad says.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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