Electrifying Aviation: The Path to Decarbonizing the Skies

Electric aviation mirrors the early stages of the electric vehicle revolution

After decades of tantalizing breakthroughs in battery technology, the last decade witnessed the emergence of energy storage as a challenger to fossil fuels for powering vehicles. We are now in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the energy landscape and electrify all forms of transportation: light duty passenger cars, heavy duty commercial vehicles, as well as various forms of transportation such as trains, ships, and aircraft.

Such a dramatic transition will require a multifaceted approach that takes into consideration technology needs, infrastructure support, workforce transitions, safety and regulations, and energy justice. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, with numerous public and private sector collaborators, has been strategizing about this transition to ensure the lessons from the past are applied to the future.