The electric dream is closer to taking flight.
Wright Electric and European budget airline EasyJet have partnered with the goal of flying an all-electric passenger plane in the next decade.
Before the announcement, Wright presented its idea for an electric plane at the Y Combinator Demo Day in Silicon Valley earlier this year. The company had floated a partnership then with EasyJet, which is known for its short-haul flights in the UK and Europe.
On Wednesday the partnership became official with EasyJet backing up Wright's goal to fly a plane on battery power alone. Both companies are aiming for 10 years for take-off.
The airplane manufacturer startup's CEO and co-founder Jeffrey Engler was at EasyJet's Innovation Day Wednesday, where the partnership was announced. In a video on Air Transport World, Engler talked about scaling up to eventually fly 150 people on short-haul flights.
Wright already has already built a two-seat electric plane, but to fly a commercial plane would take a significant leap in battery technology. The longest recorded electric flight was 1,000 miles — and only one person was onboard.
It's a win for low-emissions travel, but sit tight while the limits of battery power are tested and pushed.
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