Electric Airplanes and Drones: A History

by Kevin Desmond

Attempts at electric powered flight date to well before the 19th century. Battery weight and low energy output made it impractical until the 1990s, when the advent of lightweight materials, more efficient solar power, improved engines and the Li-Po (lithium polymer) battery opened the skies to a wide variety of electric aircraft. The author describes the diverse designs of modern electric flying machines--from tiny insect-styled drones to stratospheric airships--and explores developing trends, including flying cars and passenger airliners.

314 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2018

Reviews

[Tanay Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly unique book, with few that provide as thorough of an overview. Personally found the content a bit long and did not quite follow the flow (covering developments across the world and specific company’s innovations across timeline). That said, thrilled to see literature on eA, especially as the tech is evolving so rapidly!