Travelers sitting inside an aircraft may very soon be looking outside their airplane window during normal ramp activity pre-flight, watching cargo airmail being loaded as the jet way to the main deck retreats and doors are closed and locked.
      All pretty normal stuff until someone announces that the batteries are completely charged and the aircraft is ready to rotate.
      Boeing HorizonX and JetBlue recently backed Zunum Aero, a company founded in 2013 by Amish Kumar and located in Kirkland, WA. Forbes Magazine recently branded the upstart as “The Tesla of Aircraft.”
      The company is reportedly working to create a hybrid electric aircraft designed for regional flights with plans to fly by 2020.
      The aircraft would have a range of 700 to 1,000 miles.

Off the Road

      According to Zunum Aero, the idea is to get more cars off the road. The company also says short haul flights with aircraft of 10 to 30 seats are a viable alternative to road & rail.

Time Is On My Side

      Time is also a selling point here. Zunum’s prediction is that the aerial usage of electric drive systems will help reduce 40 percent travel time on busy commuter corridors, or up to 80 percent on routes that have less traffic.

Noise, Costs, & the Air

      Zunum claims costs will be reduced by between 40 to 80 percent and that could drive cheaper fares, making short hop travel by air an attractive alternative for commuters otherwise sitting in traffic while polluting the atmosphere.
      Hybrid aircraft versus kerosene-powered regional jets would reduce emissions by 80 percent, Zunum points out.
      Zunum Aero also promises to reduce ambient aircraft operation noise by 75 percent, which the company reasons would make operations both more attractive and readily available for more hours to serve communities at smaller regional airports.
      More: www.zunum.aero  
Geoffrey