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UPS orders electric aircraft to transport cargo between its facilities

Soumis
 
UPS is ordering 10 electric aircraft that are designed to take off and land like a helicopter, allowing it to fly cargo directly between its facilities in small markets and bypass airports. (www.seattletimes.com) Plus d'info...

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ElliotCannon
Elliot Cannon 5
Like it or not, you're looking at the future.
wecsam
David Tsai 2
I don't see why UPS shouldn't experiment with new technologies. Maybe it'll turn out well, but they won't know if they don't try.
KarlBeckman
Karl Beckman 1
This isn't in-flight comms, English is not required.
But on to the primary topic: Both the weight and recharge time of the energy storage (batteries) will have to be further reduced before the concept becomes viable. The year 2030 is probably a good guesstimate.
topgunnh
Peter McGrath 1
"But this SOUNDS so good!!" says the UPS Marketing team
SkyAware123
SkyAware123 -3
You nailed it. It's woke marketing.
ElliotCannon
Elliot Cannon 5
Kinda what folks said to Orville and Wilbur.
tomasz2013
Everything the Trumpateers dont like is now "woke"
Ohh look Powerball will soon be available in Australia how woke of them.
sho69607
Spencer Hoefer 2
Woke describes this cancel culture and being offended by everything bs that is going on right now, so not necessarily just a political thing.
tomasz2013
ok so explain to me how what SkyAware123 said about "woke marketing" is accurate?
SteveCutchen
Steve Cutchen 1
That's the wokiest comment so far! heh.
HC0JP2020
John Pineda 0
Cada vez nos alejamos de los vehículos que se movilizan con carburantes fósiles y gana terreno los que lo hacen a base de electricidad.
nashcat
nashcat 7
John, that depends entirely upon how the electricity is generated. No possibility of a reliable "green" energy base in the foreseeable future. Fossil fuels aren't going away any time soon.
jimprevo
Jim Prevo 3
I think the economics and technology are at a point where this will evolve more quickly. There is always a chicken and egg issue with new technologies like this. Demand and supply need to grow together. One can’t significantly outpace the other. Distributed battery technology appears to be solving some of the variability of solar and wind as well as providing a power source for peak shaving. Solar, wind, hydro and perhaps modern small scale nuclear power plants will increasingly supply power to the grids.
nashcat
nashcat 6
Sorry, but you sound just like my congressman repeating the same old meaningless platitudes. "I think ____" "Perhaps ____" "Chicken egg" "Demand and supply" "grow together"... It's lip service to nowhere and I've heard the same thing for 60+ years. Hydrogen fuel cells will take off, literally, before batteries are a viable long haul energy source. It's too cheap and too plentiful to ignore.
SkyAware123
SkyAware123 3
I guess you don't understand how hydrogen is generated and the resources needed to generate it.
SkyAware123
SkyAware123 1
Since they take off and land on airports I doubt the supply of energy will be an issue. Can easily be added to the airports. Which airport do you know that isn't grid tied.?
Propwash122
Peter Fuller 2
The article states that UPS plans to operate directly to and from UPS ground facilities, not just to and from airports. A conventional helicopter could do the same missions. I think the immediate benefit of this thing being electric-powered, excluding any real or imagined environmental benefits, is that it can be recharged anywhere they can connect to the electric power grid. A conventional turbine-powered helicopter would need jet-a, which I’m guessing most off-airport UPS facilities don’t stock.
mariofer
mariofer 2
I agree, until all electricity consumed in the planet comes from no carbon based fuels, electrification is nothing but shifting the blame.
mhawke1
Michael Hawke 3
Then you need to do more research. An outdated plant using fossil fuels is still significantly more efficient than an internal combustion engine or gas turbine on a jet. Economy of scale alone will reduce the emissions even when accounting for losses in storage and transmission.
mariofer
mariofer 2
I am not discussing efficiency. No matter how efficient fossil fuel power production is, you are still burning fuel. I was just agreeing with the statement "Fossil fuels aren't going away any time soon."
xmitr
Don Whyte 2
Fusion power is still a long way off and many problems have to be solved. But see the following news article:
https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/08/claiming-a-landmark-in-fusion-energy-tae-technologies-sees-commercialization-by-2030/
yarnoca1
John Yarno 1
Thanks for the link. Looks like it has a long way to go though.
Kairho
Kairho Carroll 2
True that "Fossil fuels aren't going away any time soon." But also true that they are a finite (though currently somewhat abundant) resource but, yes, the supply will eventually dissipate. (estimates for this range from 50 to 250 years)
nashcat
nashcat 1
Says who?

cypryfyx
cypryfyx 2
Says the European Commission, which found that even in Poland, which has the most polluting power grid in the EU, the lifetime emissions of producing and operating an electric vehicle, including battery production, is 1/3 that of an internal combustion vehicle. Anywhere with a cleaner power grid than Poland will do better still.
steerts
NO SPEAKA ENGLISH?????

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