The recent technological development of electric-powered planes has made giant steps forward toward a possible future of electric flying. The Scandinavian carrier SAS is paving the way with its recent order of 30 Alice electric planes by Eviation, which are expected to take off on scheduled passenger routes by 2028.

Despite this promising outlook, however, the latest electric plane technology still holds significant limitations that hinder a possible application on intercontinental flight. A major issue delaying the implementation of long-range electric planes is the extensive need for power, which with the current technology can only be obtained with large and heavy batteries, that significantly increase the aircraft’s weight and consequently limit their speed and range. For example, a recent Statista study on electric airplanes reveals speed constraints that could hinder competitiveness on long-haul routes. Similarly, Alice’s current certified range of operations is 250 NM, which is about 8% of the LHR-JFK route (~3000NM).

Therefore, despite electric flights may be an effective and sustainable solution on regional routes, such as those planned by SAS, I believe that intercontinental electric flights will not be possible in 2032.

@Lucy I agree with the analysis that compares the 250 nautical mile range of current electric aircraft prototypes to the 3000 nautical miles needed for a flight from London to New York. This significant gap of over 90% clearly shows that the technology is not yet ready for transatlantic flights in 2023. Additionally, I agree that expecting a 10x improvement in range capabilities in under 10 years is highly unlikely due to battery limitations.

According to a McKinsey study, electric flights will likely be dominated by aircraft with less than 1,000 nautical mile range from 2035-2040. Longer ranges are not currently considered commercially viable. The Rolls Royce ACCEL electric aircraft program aims to fly an aircraft at 300 mph over 200 nautical miles in 2021, showcasing progress but still lacking transatlantic capabilities.

In general, I agree with the valid conclusion that the vast disparity between current electric plane ranges and the needs of transatlantic flights makes it highly improbable for London to New York electric flights to be achieved by 2032. Prophecies from leading producers show that although the range is gradually improving, professionals do not predict electric planes to possess a transatlantic range of 3000+ nautical miles during the 2030s.

London-NYC seems like a tough route for electric. Its long, so you need lots of fuel, and it's busy, so it has huge jets full of people. I think the niche for electric will be small, short range flights to places currently survived by prop planes.

lead time on stuff like this is pretty long. United is first to announce (return of) supersonic aircraft w/ Boom and that announcement was 8 years ahead of the planned 2029 service start date.

Does it have to be non-stop?

@frosk for this market, yes :) Thanks for asking!