Battery Maker Plans 16,000-Pound, 1500-NM Aircraft For 2028

Chinese lithium battery company Contemporary Amperex Technology Company Limited (CATL) says it will have a 16,000-pound electric aircraft with a range of up to 1500 nautical miles flying by 2028. NewAtlas reported the company, which supplies most of the electric car batteries in the world, said it flew an 8,000-pound plane powered by its so-called "condensed battery" recently but didn't give any details on the flight or the airplane.

CATL announced last year that its condensed batteries pack a whopping 500 watt hours per kilogram, about double the storage potential of the best car batteries. It says they're lightweight, safe and designed specifically for aircraft but it has been light on publicly releasing details. CATL is in partnership with the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and created an aircraft division to explore that market.