Coordinating the region\u2019s initiatives is the Nordic Network for Electric Aviation, founded last year and tying together airport authorities and five airlines including Finnair Oyj,\u00a0Icelandair Group\u00a0and\u00a0SAS AB, alongside Heart and other technology innovators. The emphasis on cleaner flights follows Norway\u2019s strides toward banishing the combustion engine, with more than half the cars sold there now electric.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe have an opportunity here to show the world what\u2019s possible, and also to give the industries in our countries the opportunity to be front-runners and build this market,\u201d said Maria Fiskerud, the NEA\u2019s project manager and former adviser to the Swedish government on aviation biofuels.<\/p>\n
The group has received 12 million kronor ($1.4 million) in combined funding from its members and the governments of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Greenland.<\/p>\n
Iceland\u2019s plan to embrace electric planes is being led by its parliament\u2019s environment and transport committee, which has asked the government to establish a group of experts to lay the groundwork for environmentally friendly domestic services by 2030.<\/p>\n
While Norway\u2019s success in encouraging electric autos has been driven by generous tax incentives and concern about the economy\u2019s reliance on oil production, the region\u2019s focus on greener aviation is more directly rooted in the unique nature of a market characterized by flights between sparsely populated areas with limited surface transport links.<\/p>\n
Iceland\u2019s compact size makes it particularly well-suited to first-generation electric aircraft, which will be limited in passenger capacity by the weight of batteries needed to get even a small number of people off the ground.<\/p>\n
Fiskerud said Icelandic domestic trips offer the perfect testbed, since \u201croutes are all within an hour\u2019s reach.\u201d The greater size of Sweden, for example, might be too much of a stretch for early models so that a pledge to render its domestic market fossil-free by 2030 is likely to require a mix of electric planes, sustainable jet fuel and possibly hybrid technology, she said.<\/p>\n
British Airways said Saturday that it\u2019s\u00a0working with\u00a0startup ZeroAvia, which has demonstrated a six-seater plane powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, as part of a push to reach net-zero emissions. ZeroAvia aims to extend its technology to longer trips and fly for more than 1,000 miles with a 100-seat-plus aircraft by 2030.<\/p>\n
Icelandair Chief Operating Officer Jens Thordarson said he\u2019s enthusiastic about the application of electric technology, especially in light of the island\u2019s abundant geothermal and hydro-power green-energy resources. The carrier\u2019s domestic arm Air Iceland Connect currently uses three 37-seat Q200 turboprops and two 70 seat Q400s from\u00a0Bombardier Inc., now De Havilland Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still a long way away from being able to have electric long-distance flights,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cHowever many projects are underway for developing aircraft for shorter distances. Being able to utilize electric planes for domestic flights would change the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thordarson said a plane carrying about 20 people using locally sourced electricity could even be cheaper to operate than kerosene-powered models, opening up the prospect of increased frequencies with fewer passengers than existing services in order to keep down takeoff weights.<\/p>\n
Heart, based in Gothenburg, plans to win certification for its ES-19 regional plane by 2026, according to the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
The model, named for its 19-seat capacity, will have a range of about 400 kilometers (250 miles) and feature a conventional wing and propellers. It will be able to operate from a runway as short as 800 meters (2,600-foot).<\/p>\n
Thordarson said it may take two or three years beyond certification to establish the reliability of electric planes for commercial services and for them to enter mass production. Airport infrastructure will also need to be adapted to provide adequate access to charging, and the reduced performance of batteries in cold climates must also be addressed, he said.<\/p>\n
Government support may be required, paralleling that provided for eco-friendly vehicles. Norway, which aims to turn domestic flights all-electric by 2040, is looking at making subsidies for individual routes conditional on switching away from fossil fuels, or offering tax incentives for electric services.<\/p>\n
The Nordic region\u2019s combination of ready access to renewable electricity, high relative wealth and geography favoring smaller planes will provide a litmus test for the viability of carbon-free flying more generally, Fiskerud said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a good part of the world to start working with electric aviation,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we can\u2018t do this here then it is difficult to see where it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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