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A factor in favour of jet fuel is that as the plane burns fuel if becomes lighter, thus consuming less fuel. Batteries stay the same weight. The difference between a full plane and an empty plane can be 18 metric tonnes. Super cheap operators tend to carry only a small extra margin of fuel over the amount technically necessary to make a trip, because it makes a real difference.

That means the energy density you need in this comparison isn't really linear. If you're doing Taylor Swift flights to the couch and back, you can save a lot of weight by having a minimal amount of fuel in the tank, but with an electric plane you'll always have to have the full battery in case you need to go somewhere further away.

this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2024
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