\u2013 Even I, an optimist,\u00a0am\u00a0surprised about how far technology in this area has come and how quickly\u00a0it is developed\u00a0forward, says\u00a0<\/span>Mr\u00a0Mathias Lindstr\u00f6m<\/span><\/b>, Director of the Kvarken Council.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Kvarken Council has since the beginning of 2020\u00a0led a project\u00a0aimed\u00a0to map out the electric aviation industry and\u00a0to\u00a0prepare the region to make use of this\u00a0new technology.\u00a0<\/span>Mr\u00a0Arne\u00a0Smedberg<\/span><\/b>, CEO of\u00a0BioFuel\u00a0Region in\u00a0Ume\u00e5\u00a0is one of the people working with the project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 In short,\u00a0you could say that the technology for electric aviation already exists, but\u00a0its\u00a0certification\u00a0takes time at moment. The safety standards are heavy in the aviation industry and getting new planes approved is a long process, says\u00a0Smedberg.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is also the reason why some of the companies which develop electric planes use old, approved fuselages, and simply change their engines to electric engines.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What is the\u00a0current\u00a0technical situation in the electric aviation\u00a0industry?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-60px|auto||auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.kvarken.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/J5GgStuXnocy-1.jpeg” alt=”Bild p\u00e5 Arne Smedberg” title_text=”J5GgStuXnocy (1)” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial quote_icon_color=”#5A9AB0″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”75%” max_width=”100%” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”260px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In short<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0you could s<\/span>ay that the technology for electric aviation already exists, but\u00a0<\/span>its\u00a0<\/span>certification<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>takes time at moment. The safety standards are heavy in the aviation industry and getting new planes approved is a long process.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Arne Smedberg, CEO of\u00a0<\/span>BioFuel<\/span>\u00a0Region in\u00a0<\/span>Ume\u00e5<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.11.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” max_width=”1280px” custom_padding=”34px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” inline_fonts=”ABeeZee” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The batteries used today in electric plans are lithium-ion batteries of the same type as the ones used in electric cars. Under development are so-called solid-state batteries, which will charge faster, and which\u00a0will\u00a0contain\u00a0twice as much\u00a0energy in relation to their weight\u00a0as\u00a0today\u2019s batteries. The\u00a0distances electric planes can fly in the future is therefore heavily linked with battery development.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to pure electric planes, also hybrid planes, that run on electricity and hydrogen gas, are developed. One of these planes has\u00a0already been\u00a0flown\u00a0in Germany.\u00a0Hybrid\u00a0planes will be able to fly longer distances than planes that are 100% run on electricity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Kvarken Council is not the only actor who believes in electric planes \u2013 many airlines\u00a0do too. One of the start-up companies developing electric passenger planes is the Swedish Heart Aerospace, who has already made several prior agreements on its 19-seater electric airplane.\u00a0Among others,\u00a0United Airlines has\u00a0informed that\u00a0it\u00a0aims\u00a0to buy one hundred electric planes\u00a0from the company, and Finnair has said to buy twenty electric airplanes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 Most often,\u00a0start-ups develop electric planes. The traditional\u00a0aircraft manufacturers do not seem that interested, probably because their focus lies in large planes. And it will take a long time before\u00a0there are\u00a0large electric planes in\u00a0the\u00a0air, says\u00a0Smedberg.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_testimonial quote_icon_color=”#5A9AB0″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” module_alignment=”left” min_height=”223px” custom_margin=”|-51px||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n One problem is the fact that airport tariffs today are the same for all types of planes, which means that the tariffs easily make an unreasonably large portion of the ticket prices when flying with<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>small plane<\/span>s<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Arne Smedberg,\u00a0CEO of\u00a0<\/span>BioFuel<\/span>\u00a0Region in\u00a0<\/span>Ume\u00e5<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.kvarken.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/arne.png” alt=”Bild p\u00e5 Arne Smedberg” title_text=”arne” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”72%” module_alignment=”left” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.11.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” max_width=”1280px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.11.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.11.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” inline_fonts=”ABeeZee” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n According to Arne\u00a0Smedberg,\u00a0technology is not\u00a0an\u00a0obstacle for a wider use of electric aviation\u00a0at the moment, but rather other factors.\u00a0Strict safety regulations make the certification\u00a0process\u00a0slow,\u00a0and\u00a0in addition to this, the infrastructure in the aviation industry is not adjusted to electric aviation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u2013 At the moment, there are not standards for charging stations, and this naturally also means that airports do not want to invest in them yet.\u00a0The companies developing charging stations are\u00a0also still on the fence, says\u00a0Smedberg.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another problem is the fact that airport tariffs today are the same for all types of planes, which means that the tariffs easily make an unreasonably large portion of the ticket prices when flying with\u00a0small planes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0<\/span>The aviation industry is quite conservative and has, in large,\u00a0served under the same logic\u00a0for many decades. Therefore, it takes time to turn the ship around, says\u00a0Smedberg.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nStrict safety standards<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
19-seater planes coming in 2026<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
Andreas Forsgren, Anna Bertills, Isak Br\u00e4ndstr\u00f6m, Lars Westin, and Arne Smedberg contributed and lectured on Wasa Future Festival 08\/2021, about<\/a>\u00a0the possibilities and challenges with\u00a0electric aviation. <\/i>Photo: Marcus Lillkvist\/Vasabladet<\/em><\/a><\/h4>\n
The battery technology moves forward<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
P<\/span>rior agreements on electric planes<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/h2>\n
T<\/span>he t<\/span>echnology\u00a0<\/span>is n<\/span>ot an obsta<\/span>cle<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
Aviation might become environmentally f<\/span>riendly<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.kvarken.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Intrerreg-BA-SV-RGB.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.kvarken.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FAIR_logo_RGB.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n