The Solar Impulse is really cool technology. It also shows why oil use has been so prolific. the energy-to-weight ratio of jet fuel is a marvel when you consider the size of today's jet aircraft and the distances they fly with hundreds of passengers.
I am surprised that no one has been developing (or I haven't heard of) fully autonomous airplane pilot systems. Something like that tied to a fleet of solar planes like this for shipping stuff could be a real game changer for certain types of cargo.<p>Flying actually seems like a much "cleaner" environment for the AI to navigate then roads do, to be honest, and the dependence on instrumentation and not visual cues as much is of course a natural fit.
Pilot here. I agree with other posts about energy density being an important factor here. I don't expect to see all-solar aircraft anytime soon. The best way to get aviation to become carbon neutral will be via biofuels, which several airlines are already experimenting with.<p>That said, I can see a couple of areas where solar will contribute.<p>While it will be very difficult to generate all of the power needed for an airliner via solar, there's no reason not to cover the aircraft in high efficiency (triple junction) solar cells. A large airliner will have a usable sky facing surface area of 1,000 square meters or so (rough estimate). Enough to generate a few hundred kilowatts of power. If the aircraft has hybrid gas/electric engines, that power can reduce the fuel burn a bit (even a small reduction is a big deal).<p>I can also see where a serial hybrid design could be workable (e.g. lots of fuel cells generating electric power that in turn drives electric fans). This would be attractive, especially in smaller planes, due to the potential to reduce the risk of mechanical failure.
"He predicted that, 50 years from now, electric aeroplanes would be "transporting up to 50 people"."<p>Shame the mega storms that are swirling the planet at that point will probably rip the planes out of the sky.<p>50 years too late if you ask me.