People do drum on an awful amount about those pesky pollutants our cars emit every day, but we tend to hear less about planes and their emissions. If you are one of the few that kick up a stink about this issue then good news, green traveller, this new plane might be right up your alley.

The Airbus E-Fan electric prototype has been trotted out and, just over one year after its maiden flight, it is ready for the public viewing. This from Flight Club:

The aircraft’s structure is all-composite, with a maximum takeoff weight of just 1,213 pounds. It has an estimated top speed of 136 miles per hour, with a cruising speed of 99 miles per hour.

The twin 60 kilowatt electric motors draw power from 250-volt Kokam lithium-ion polymer batteries and offer an hour’s flight time. As battery technology continuously improves, the range of an electric aircraft like the E-Fan would also be expected to increase. The batteries are contained in the inboard section of the wings (where fuel tanks would normally be), which join to the bottom portion of the fuselage, and can be re-charged in one hour via a ground charging station, or be swapped out for new cells. The E-Fan dramatically improves safety by totally eliminating flammable aviation fuel from the equation. Fewer combustibles onboard an E-Fan significantly reduces the risk of injury or death for pilots, passengers, first responders and others.

Well that all sounds grand but will it live up the hype and does it stand to change the current air travel landscape?

There is no doubt that electric aircraft such as the Airbus E-Fan have the potential to revolutionize (sic) the world of aviation. In doing so they could make flight far more accessible than ever before, while also setting new standards for safety and sustainability and eventually sparking new possibilities in the air travel industry.

You can read the full write-up and watch another video HERE.

[source:flightclub]