Zunum Aero emerges from stealth mode with big plans for hybrid electric planes

Four years after its founding, Zunum Aero is finally going public with a plan to build hybrid electric airplanes that could revolutionize service to regional airports in the 2020s. <br/> Zunum aims to develop 10- to 50-seat aircraft that can pave the way for what the founder and CE Ashish Kumar calls a “golden age of regional travel.” To follow through on that vision, the company has patented its concept and has won backing from the Boeing as well as from JetBlue Technology Ventures, a subsidiary of JetBlue Airways. The idea is to create aircraft that are well-suited for routes that have fallen into disuse due to trends that have dominated the airline industry over the past few decades Zunum Aero says the greater efficiencies of hybrid electric propulsion could reduce fares by 40 to 80% for routes ranging up to 1,000 miles. <br/>