Is NASA Closer to Making Electric Flight a Reality?

I’ve written about solid state batteries as a potential long-term replacement for lithium-ion. The focus has been on ground-based EVs, but NASA has other ideas.

They are developing s solid-state sulfur selenium battery that could make electric flight a reality. The EPA estimates that commercial air travel accounts for 10% of U.S. transportation emissions and 3% of our total GHG emissions. So electrifying commercial travel would put a sizable dent in our carbon footprint.

Electric planes already exist on a very limited basis. They don’t fly as fast or as far. Not a formula for success in commercial aviation.

NASA’s Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety project or SABERS (not a particularly catchy title but descriptive) has been working for years to overcome the limitations to electric flight.

With double the energy density of lithium-ion, the agency claims their new sulfur selenium prototype is safer and more powerful. As important, to accommodate the power needed at take-off, the battery can discharge its energy 10 times faster than other solid-state batteries. This type of discharge speed creates a lot of heat, but the NASA battery is said to be able to withstand temperatures twice as hot as lithium-ion.

So, the answer to the question – are we closer to electric flight is yes, but it still isn’t around the corner. Solid state batteries are expensive and the testing requirements for airplane components are stringent. NASA isn’t saying exactly how long they think it will take to become viable in the market. The press release just said – it will be a long time.

True – but it’s still very cool, and a little less long than yesterday. And that’s how technology typically evolves.