Hybrid planes trying to charge into action

The airliner of the future may feel very alien to our fuel-guzzling planes, at least if one ambitious quest to build the Prius of the skies is anything to go by.

How would you feel about flying on an electric airliner? Current planes may be noisy, rattly, and relatively inefficient, but there’s something reassuring about being able to hear the constant roar of the engines, or glance out of the window and see them.

So the airliner of the future may feel very alien to anyone comfortable with our current mode of flying.

Designed by European aviation powerhouse, EADS, together with Rolls Royce, the eConcept shows how cutting-edge technology and materials could combine to make more efficient and quiet aircraft that take their cues from the hybrid-car model.

Read more... “We imagine the impossible, and then try to think how possible it might be”