E-Fan Advances The Case For Electrically Powered Aircraft
Further work on battery technology could pave the way for larger aircraft to tap the benefits of electrical power.
Airbus and its partners hope to see the first light trainer versions of its electrically powered E-Fan aircraft enter service at the end of 2017.
Airbus and its partners hope to see the first light trainer versions of its electrically powered E-Fan aircraft enter service at the end of 2017.

The Airbus-led effort to develop viable electrically powered aircraft was boosted by the first public flight of the first E-Fan aircraft on April 25. The first of the two- and four-seat E-Fan light training aircraft are due to enter service by the end of 2017, but the wider success of the program–which eventually hopes to prove the case for electrically powered regional airliners–is contingent on its developers achieving further technology breakthroughs in harnessing the new power source.