100-seat electric plane will be ready by 2027, says LA startup

An all-electric plane capable of carrying 100 people may be available within six years, significantly accelerating the timeline for the introduction of a non-kerosene powered commercial airliner. US startup Wright Electric plans to retrofit electric motors into a BAe 146 regional aircraft originally manufactured by BAE Systems, replacing its four jet engines and transforming it into a zero-emissions model. Wright plans to build a fleet of the converted planes, which will have a range of about one hour or 460 miles, while using the revamped model -- renamed the Spirit -- as a stepping stone toward a previously planned clean-paper aircraft a few years later, CEO Jeffrey Engler said. The strategy pivot, timed for the COP26 climate summit, could allow Wright to steal a march on established firms such as Airbus that are targeting electric or hydrogen-powered models by about 2035. The converted planes would be suited to linking close city pairs such as New York and Boston, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo and many European locations currently served by regional jets, the Airbus A320 family or Boeing 737s.<br/>