Electric Planes are Already Here

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering

Provided by The Kid Should See This

What it is

This 10-minute video and associated article explore whether electric aircraft are possible and how advances in battery technology are making them increasingly viable as a way to reduce aviation's contribution to climate change.
The video explains that electric planes allow us to reimagine air flight altogether through design ideas such as vertical takeoff and landing.

Classroom Implementation:

Prior to watching, discuss why electrifying certain things, such as planes, can pose significant challenges.
After watching, have students list limiting factors for the spread of electric planes.
Then, discuss why despite these limitations, the electric planes that already exist may still make a dent in fossil fuel emissions.

Extensions:

Engage students in the engineering design process to electrify a typically fossil-fuel-powered technology.
Explore the history of a variety of sustainable innovations (e.g., solar panels) to analyze the claim that most "new" technologies are actually decades in the making.

Related Resources:

Use this 5-minute video to instead discuss the history of electric cars.
Read this short news article about how Uber plans to launch fleets of electric helicopter taxis starting in 2026.

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Standards alignment · MS-ESS3-3. + 3 more

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-3.Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ETS1-1.Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
HS-ESS3-4.Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
HS-ETS1-1.Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.