Are Electric Planes For Passengers Possible?

This is a question or problem that a Vermont-based startup has been trying to solve. How do you beat heavy traffic when traveling short distances say to work, or the airport?

Beta Technologies recently disclosed a new electric aircraft it is working on. The aircraft has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities and doesn’t require a runway. The company had previously released different versions of its aircrafts but which were only used to carry cargos. Having mastered that space, they’re now making a moving into developing such electric aircrafts for transporting passengers.

The company has raised almost $860 million and counts customers such as UPS, US Air Force, Air New Zealand, and United Therapeutics amongst others. The company says the planes are about a year away from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification and approval.

The company claims its electric planes are half the cost of similar turbine or jet-powered planes, and hence will capture a larger share of the short distance air-travel market.