Electric Airplane Design Uses Flying Drone Batteries to Boost
Range - 5:19 PM An electric-vehicle veteran is turning his
efforts from two wheels to a pair of wings as he sets his sights
on electric-powered airplanes for his latest world record
attempts. But Chip Yates isn’t satisfied with simply flying
faster and higher than any previous piloted electric airplane,
he is completely reinventing how electric airplanes are thought
of with an infinite-range aircraft, or at least one that could
fly for a very, very long time. The breakthrough idea uses
autonomous flying battery packs that can be released when empty,
with charged packs flying to the airplane and docking for use as
needed. Like all electric vehicles, the design challenge is all
about range, range, range and range. And battery technology is
always the excuse for not being able to dramatically increase
distance between charges. Historically, one of the biggest
challenges for long-range airplanes has been weight. And heavy
batteries don’t make for a goo