One ambitious startup is aiming to put passenger planes powered by electricity in the air within the next decade. Or, perhaps more realistically, in the next 20 years -- depending on battery technology advancements.
Wright Electric, an aircraft manufacturer startup based out of Massachusetts, debuted its idea for a no gas 150-seat plane at Tuesday's Y Combinator Demo Day in Silicon Valley as part of the incubator's bi-annual showcase of new startups.
SEE ALSO:80-year-old woman accidentally tries to carry a sword onto a planeThe barely one-year-old company hopes to corner the market in short-haul flights, like London to Paris or Boston to New York City, and announced a potential partnership with budget airline EasyJet out of the UK.
Wright Electric says 30 percent of flights are under 300 miles, which is a good distance for the battery-operated concept.
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In a blog post a week before Demo Day, the fledgling company hinted at the EasyJet deal and said that a "high net worth individual wants our electric 150-seater as his fifth private jet. Woo hoo!"
The company went on to spell out what needs to happen to make the idea a reality. The plane's shape and design won't be anything new since, according to Wright Electric, those components have already been mostly perfected.
It's the battery technology that will power the plane that needs to come together in the next decade.
It's the battery technology that will power the plane that needs to come together in the next decade. The company talked about a potential hybrid electric motor if battery advances don't continue on pace like they have for the past century.
Some experts are skeptical about the company's plans. Graham Warwick, an aviation expert from Aviation Weeklytold the BBC, "The battery technology is not there yet."
"It's projected to come but it needs a significant improvement," he added. "Nobody thinks that is going to happen anytime soon. And there's all the [safety] certification - those rules are yet to be created, and that takes time."
However, the company remains optimistic, and has been working with Chip Yates, who clocked the longest electric flight recorded at about 1,000 miles.
Also on display at the demo event was one of the startup's smaller two-seater planes powered by an electric battery.
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So in 10 years (maybe give it 20) we'll see if airlines are charging up their planes to get ready for take-off.
(责任编辑：焦點)
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