On Sat, 06 Mar 2021 12:13:38 -0800, Kenn Sebesta wrote:

For sure! Although keep in mind that the battery is the single highest $
component of the propulsion system. Moreover, batteries have a fixed
lifespan with or without use, so some people might prefer a lower TCO
and a lighter plane. I think the beauty of electric is the ability to
tailor this to specific needs. We can even imagine the same plane with a
lightweight pattern launch battery, and a heftier XC battery.

Speaking as a pilot whose launch method of choice is the winch, I think
the way to go could well be an electric sustainer launched with an
electric winch: potentially 100% green and no need for big, heavy
batteries.

However, launching an electric sustainer with a Polish gravity launch
would be super-cool.

The genius of all this is that as battery tech improves the existing
plane just gets better and better.

All the practical battery chemistries have been tried by now and their
specific energy capacities are well-known, so I suspect that future
improvement will be along the lines of incremental weight reduction,
better durability and, possibly, price reduction as recycling techniques
are improved. OTOH if battery recycling doesn't become very close to zero
loss for the active material in a battery, prices will rise as mines get
worked out, and IIRC the reserves of these sources are fairly well-
known.

Questions we need to know the answers for very soon a

- How widespread is battery material recycling at present?

- Can you yet buy a battery containing recycled Lithium?

- If not, why not?


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org