Electric aircraft will become a standard earlier than expected, said Siemens vice president of electric and hybrid-electric propulsion Terry Hamlin at the Siemens Innovation Day, held in Chicago, Il. Siemens is working alongside Rolls-Royce and Airbus on a regional airplane, dubbed the “eFan”.

Hamlin stated that “Siemens believes the aviation industry is on the verge of a major shift in propulsion”, further supporting the sentiment that the progress in electric propulsion is here to stay, and eventually dominate, the aerospace industry.

Why it’s important: A critical mass of OEM’s and smaller aerospace companies alike have adopted a full-fledged effort to advance the progress of electric propulsion by funding large quantities of research and development. This behind-the-scenes funding and effort is finally coming to fruition under the public eye, and will eventually be applied to commercial airliners, helicopters, and flying cars and taxis.

*A note – TransportUp recently wrote about Siemen’s advances in electric propulsion technology. Read about them here.

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Posted by Benji

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