Optimist Daily: Europe’s electric flight era could begin within four years

Electric aircraft startups have been promising a lot for a long time. Two of them are now close enough to matter. Battery-electric and hybrid planes with a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) would cover a quarter of Europe’s existing flight routes, according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). That includes some of the continent’s most popular short hops: London to Dublin, Athens to Santorini, Barcelona to Ibiza, Nice to Corsica, and Rome to Sardinia. Every one of those routes crosses water or connects an island. Rail isn’t coming for them, which is why electrifying them is a different kind of priority than cutting routes where a fast train already exists. Learn MORE.