I’m disappointed that the FT describes the Pipistrel electric aircraft as capable of “carbon-free” flight (“My flight into the future”, Life & Arts, FT Weekend, June 19). I expect better analytical skills from a finance-focused publication. At least some of the electricity to charge the plane’s batteries comes from carbon-based fuel sources that have less than 75 per cent conversion efficiency.
Another 5 to 10 per cent of that electricity, whether green or high-carbon produced, is lost in transmission to where the aircraft’s batteries are charged. The batteries can’t deliver 100 per cent of their charge, and the electric motors they supply lose about 10 or more per cent of the battery energy due to their less-than-perfect conversion efficiency.
What about the aircraft itself? From the advanced composites and its construction process to the rare earths and more conventional alloys in its batteries and motor to its tyres, each component has its own pollution and carbon footprint.
“Carbon-free” flight? I don’t think so.
Bruce Pfund
Westerly, RI, US