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♪
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MILES O'BRIEN:
The race is on to stop
the climate emergency.
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BRICE NZEUKOU:
We're seeing more
and more people really
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paying attention
to their carbon footprint.
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♪
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O'BRIEN:
Aviation is a
fast-growing offender,
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{\an1}but is it too slow to respond?
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SUSAN YING:
Aviation will become
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{\an1}the final dinosaur
that doesn't clean up
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{\an1}if we don't act right now.
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O'BRIEN:
It's the high-hanging fruit...
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One the hardest
climate challenges of all.
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{\an1}BERTRAND PICCARD:
It's extremely difficult
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{\an1}to get rid of the fuel,
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{\an1}if you want to transport
tons and tons of passengers.
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♪
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O'BRIEN:
Could rapid progress
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{\an1}in electric technology change
the equation?
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TERIK WEEKES:
Electric motors are
at a certain point today.
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{\an1}The battery systems
are at a certain point today.
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{\an1}We're within that
edge of possible.
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O'BRIEN:
New technology is driving
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{\an1}a global race to push that edge.
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SEBASTIAN THRUN:
This might sound crazy,
but we believe
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it's the future
of transportation for everybody.
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♪
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O'BRIEN:
A new era may be closer
than you think.
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{\an1}Are we flying
the future right now?
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We absolutely are.
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O'BRIEN:
"The Great Electric
Airplane Race"
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{\an1}is cleared for take off...
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{\an1}right now on "NOVA."
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♪
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♪
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{\an7}All right, Wendy,
this your first day flying?
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{\an8}Actually, yep,
this is my first flight.
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{\an7}O'BRIEN (voiceover):
A trip to the airport
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{\an7}in Watsonville, California,
shrouded in mystery.
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{\an7}I've been invited here
by a publicity-shy company...
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{\an7}(engine starting)
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{\an7}For a flight to an
undisclosed location
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{\an7}to see a groundbreaking
new flying machine.
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{\an8}Beyond that,
details are sketchy.
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{\an1}Our pilot is Wendy Kraft.
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You've been flying
helicopters for a long time.
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{\an1}Is this the kind of thing
you'd like to share with many
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{\an1}more people, that ability
to go anywhere, anytime?
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Oh, absolutely,
especially in this area.
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{\an1}I mean, having grown
up in Santa Cruz,
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{\an1}there wasn't really a traffic
problem back in the day,
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but now, traffic is horrendous.
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{\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover):
Helicopters are only
for the lucky few.
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{\an1}It's about $1,000 an hour
to operate this one.
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{\an1}And, of course, they're noisy.
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{\an1}(blades whirring loudly)
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{\an1}We fly for an hour, and then...
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{\an1}Without warning, there it is,
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{\an1}sitting on a remote airstrip...
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{\an1}a successor to the helicopter.
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{\an1}An aircraft that flies
without a drop of fossil fuel,
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{\an1}part of an electric
revolution in flight.
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{\an1}One with the ambitious goal
of democratizing
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{\an1}the rare privilege
we just enjoyed.
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{\an7}And maybe, just maybe,
help save the planet.
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{\an8}♪
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{\an1}The climate emergency
is here and now.
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♪
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{\an1}The greenhouse gas
carbon dioxide
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{\an1}is at the highest
level it's been
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{\an1}in at least 800,000 years.
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♪
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{\an1}It's an existential crisis
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{\an1}that is prompting action.
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{\an1}Globally, about 15%
of the human carbon footprint
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{\an1}comes from transportation.
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{\an1}We see some signs of progress...
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{\an1}electric car sales
are rising as prices drop.
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{\an8}We're seeing
more and more people really
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00:04:05,505 --> 00:04:06,847
{\an8}paying attention
to their carbon footprint.
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O'BRIEN:
But aviation?
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{\an1}It's one of the hardest
transportation problems
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to solve.
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(plane roars)
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{\an1}Yet all over the world,
engineers, entrepreneurs,
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{\an1}and aviators are trying
to meet the challenge.
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NZEUKOU:
We believe it's going
to happen sooner
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{\an1}than most people imagine.
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{\an1}If you fly on small
commuter airlines today,
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{\an1}you can expect some version
of electric aircraft
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{\an1}within the next five years.
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O'BRIEN:
Today it's hard to see,
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but it may just
be a matter of time.
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♪
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{\an1}Because electric motors
are so small,
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{\an1}yet powerful and responsive,
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{\an7}designers can distribute
them all over an aircraft
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{\an1}and replace control
surfaces like ailerons,
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{\an1}stabilizers, and rudders.
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{\an1}The motors reduce drag
and are much more efficient.
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{\an1}They are experimenting,
starting small,
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{\an1}creating some flying machines
like never seen before.
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♪
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{\an7}There's even more at stake
than the climate emergency.
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{\an7}Aviation has a serious
pollution problem
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{\an8}that is just now
coming into focus.
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{\an7}Just after dawn on a sunny,
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{\an8}blustery October
morning in Boston,
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{\an7}a pair of scientists are
chartering a fishing boat.
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{\an7}So we can definitely
try to get to as close
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{\an7}to the runway as possible.
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{\an8}O'BRIEN:
But environmental
engineers Neelakshi Hudda
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and John Durant
of Tufts University...
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{\an1}How much closer do you want
to get, another hundred meters?
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O'BRIEN:
are casting...
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{\an1}This might be a good spot.
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Might be a great spot.
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O'BRIEN:
for plumes
of emissions generated
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{\an1}by aircraft heading
into Logan Airport.
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00:06:02,138 --> 00:06:05,505
{\an1}Combustion of Jet A fuel
in airplane engines
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00:06:05,538 --> 00:06:08,438
{\an1}is a bigger piece
of the overall pollution pie
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00:06:08,471 --> 00:06:11,771
{\an1}than most people recognize.
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00:06:11,805 --> 00:06:13,971
{\an7}The amount of Jet A
that's consumed at Logan
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{\an7}is about 25% of all
the fuel that's consumed
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{\an7}in the city of Boston
by all the cars.
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{\an1}And there are millions
of people that live around
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{\an1}big, large airports
that are impacted
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{\an1}by these emissions
day in and day out.
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{\an1}And it's a chronic insult,
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{\an1}environmental insult,
to those communities.
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O'BRIEN:
They are out to answer
a simple question...
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How pervasive
is that chronic insult?
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{\an1}HUDDA:
Basically, we are
seeing a plume downwind
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{\an1}from the plane,
which results in a spike
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{\an1}in the concentrations
that we are measuring.
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O'BRIEN:
They are measuring
the quantity and the size
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{\an1}of toxic particles, the remnants
of incomplete combustion.
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HUDDA:
Average size: ten nanometers,
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{\an1}that's really small particles.
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{\an1}The smaller the particle is,
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00:07:00,005 --> 00:07:02,371
{\an1}the deeper it can penetrate
into your lungs.
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00:07:02,405 --> 00:07:05,005
They have been
associated with a slew
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{\an1}of cardiovascular
health effects,
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respiratory health effects,
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00:07:08,338 --> 00:07:11,005
{\an1}elevation in blood pressure,
systemic inflammation,
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00:07:11,038 --> 00:07:13,638
{\an1}and have the capacity
to actually penetrate
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{\an1}the blood-brain barrier directly
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{\an1}and deposit in human brain.
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O'BRIEN:
Hudda has an
electric car outfitted
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{\an1}with similar equipment.
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HUDDA:
So here's a size distribution...
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O'BRIEN:
She drives through neighborhoods
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{\an1}under the flight paths
continuously gathering data.
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{\an1}(machinery humming)
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♪
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{\an1}Her pioneering work
began in Los Angeles in 2012.
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{\an1}Driving a similarly
equipped car,
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{\an1}she systematically
traversed the neighborhoods
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{\an1}beneath the final approach paths
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to Los Angeles
International Airport.
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{\an1}She was able to identify
a distinct plume
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{\an1}from the airplanes that went
much farther than she expected.
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HUDDA:
We went 20 kilometers,
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{\an1}and I still don't think
that's the end of it.
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{\an1}I just ran out of battery
at that point in my car.
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{\an1}No one had suspected that they'd
find a really clean signal
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20 kilometers
downwind of an airport.
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If you look at
the top 23 airports,
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{\an1}about ten percent of the
U.S. population lives
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within ten miles
of those airports.
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{\an1}We all benefit from aviation,
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but we all don't
really pay for it equally.
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O'BRIEN:
And yet we all pay a price
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{\an1}for aviation's impact
on the climate emergency.
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{\an1}Before the pandemic,
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{\an1}aviation accounted for about
three-and-a-half percent
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of the world's
climate-warming problem.
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00:08:41,571 --> 00:08:45,638
{\an8}About two thirds
of jet fuel exhaust is CO2.
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{\an1}Less than one percent
are nitrogen oxides,
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{\an1}which also cause warming.
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00:08:51,505 --> 00:08:54,271
The other third
is mostly water vapor,
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{\an7}which at high altitude becomes
ice crystals... contrails.
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{\an1}When the humidity is right,
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00:09:01,738 --> 00:09:04,405
contrails spread
and linger for hours,
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00:09:04,438 --> 00:09:07,005
{\an1}creating cirrus clouds.
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00:09:07,038 --> 00:09:10,671
{\an1}Thousands of flights creating
thousands of contrail-induced
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{\an1}clouds trap a lot of heat.
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{\an1}They have about twice
the impact on global warming
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{\an1}as the CO2 from jet exhaust.
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00:09:19,671 --> 00:09:24,238
And the problem
is getting worse.
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00:09:24,271 --> 00:09:26,871
Global aviation
is growing rapidly.
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{\an1}It is predicted to double
in less than 20 years.
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00:09:30,105 --> 00:09:33,605
{\an1}In stark contrast,
other forms of transport
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00:09:33,638 --> 00:09:36,505
{\an1}are investing heavily
in green alternatives.
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YING:
If that trend continues,
then aviation is going to
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00:09:40,705 --> 00:09:45,038
{\an1}become one of the top polluters
of all industry sectors.
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00:09:45,071 --> 00:09:47,638
{\an7}Aviation will become
the final dinosaur
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{\an7}that doesn't clean up
if we don't act right now.
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00:09:51,838 --> 00:09:53,938
O'BRIEN:
It is a weighty issue.
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00:09:53,971 --> 00:09:56,905
Specifically,
the weight of jet fuel.
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00:09:56,938 --> 00:10:01,871
{\an7}A Boeing 737 can hold
more than 40,000 pounds of it.
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00:10:01,905 --> 00:10:04,338
{\an7}Sounds like a lot.
202
00:10:04,371 --> 00:10:07,538
{\an7}But to replace the jet engines
with electric motors,
203
00:10:07,571 --> 00:10:10,205
{\an8}you would need
30 times the weight,
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00:10:10,238 --> 00:10:12,671
{\an7}or about 1.2 million pounds
205
00:10:12,705 --> 00:10:15,838
{\an7}of batteries to get
comparable range.
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00:10:15,871 --> 00:10:19,238
{\an8}♪
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00:10:20,671 --> 00:10:23,171
{\an1}Solving that engineering
challenge will be daunting,
208
00:10:23,205 --> 00:10:27,071
{\an1}but the first baby steps
have already been taken.
209
00:10:27,105 --> 00:10:31,105
In 2003,
Bertrand Piccard co-founded
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00:10:31,138 --> 00:10:34,571
{\an1}the Solar Impulse
project in Switzerland.
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00:10:34,605 --> 00:10:37,638
{\an1}The goal: to design and build
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00:10:37,671 --> 00:10:41,705
{\an1}a solar electric aircraft that
could fly around the world.
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00:10:41,738 --> 00:10:44,638
PICCARD:
For Solar Impulse,
we had to make a very,
214
00:10:44,671 --> 00:10:46,871
{\an1}very light airplane...
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00:10:46,905 --> 00:10:49,371
{\an7}the weight of a car...
We're flying at the speed
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00:10:49,405 --> 00:10:52,105
{\an7}of a moped and transporting one
217
00:10:52,138 --> 00:10:53,605
{\an1}pilot and zero passengers,
218
00:10:53,638 --> 00:10:57,605
{\an1}and like this, we could fly
solar with electric engines.
219
00:10:57,638 --> 00:10:59,638
MAN (on radio):
And we lift off...
220
00:10:59,671 --> 00:11:02,638
O'BRIEN:
His partner
in the audacious endeavor
221
00:11:02,671 --> 00:11:04,505
{\an1}was Andre Borschberg.
222
00:11:04,538 --> 00:11:07,971
BORSCHBERG:
I had faith
in the possibility to do it
223
00:11:08,005 --> 00:11:10,705
{\an1}but of course I didn't know how.
224
00:11:10,738 --> 00:11:12,538
{\an7}Could we collect enough energy?
225
00:11:12,571 --> 00:11:15,805
{\an7}And could we use so little
226
00:11:15,838 --> 00:11:19,671
{\an1}that it would make the flight
through the night possible?
227
00:11:19,705 --> 00:11:23,505
O'BRIEN:
In the end,
it took 16 months,
228
00:11:23,538 --> 00:11:25,905
but they did
circumnavigate the planet.
229
00:11:25,938 --> 00:11:28,205
(applause)
230
00:11:28,238 --> 00:11:29,705
We made it!
231
00:11:29,738 --> 00:11:32,571
PICCARD:
What I wanted to do
was to show that
232
00:11:32,605 --> 00:11:36,271
{\an1}electric aviation
had also a future,
233
00:11:36,305 --> 00:11:39,705
{\an1}and that the technologies
already exist.
234
00:11:39,738 --> 00:11:42,238
{\an1}It's not something that we
can do it in a hundred years.
235
00:11:42,271 --> 00:11:44,805
{\an1}We can do it now,
and actually we did it.
236
00:11:44,838 --> 00:11:48,171
{\an1}Today, all the people who say,
237
00:11:48,205 --> 00:11:50,505
"Clean aviation is impossible,"
238
00:11:50,538 --> 00:11:53,371
{\an1}will look as stupid
as the one who said
239
00:11:53,405 --> 00:11:57,538
{\an1}to the Wright Brothers,
"Your airplane will never fly."
240
00:12:01,505 --> 00:12:05,005
O'BRIEN:
Chandler Airport
in Fresno, California,
241
00:12:05,038 --> 00:12:08,771
{\an1}has been in operation since
the Wright Brothers era...
242
00:12:08,805 --> 00:12:12,205
Aviation 1.0.
243
00:12:12,238 --> 00:12:16,005
{\an1}Today the Art Deco glory
has faded...
244
00:12:17,371 --> 00:12:21,438
{\an1}but Joseph Oldham is using
this old, underutilized place
245
00:12:21,471 --> 00:12:24,738
to help launch
a new age of flight...
246
00:12:24,771 --> 00:12:26,805
Aviation 3.0.
247
00:12:26,838 --> 00:12:29,171
OLDHAM:
This is the third
revolution of aviation.
248
00:12:29,205 --> 00:12:31,605
{\an7}The first revolution,
of course, was powered flight.
249
00:12:31,638 --> 00:12:33,705
{\an7}Second revolution was jets
250
00:12:33,738 --> 00:12:36,338
{\an7}in the 1940s, early 1950s.
251
00:12:36,371 --> 00:12:39,705
{\an1}Electric propulsion
is the third revolution.
252
00:12:39,738 --> 00:12:43,038
O'BRIEN:
These are Pipistrel
Alpha Electros,
253
00:12:43,071 --> 00:12:44,905
{\an1}the first certified,
254
00:12:44,938 --> 00:12:47,838
{\an1}all-electric airplanes
in the world.
255
00:12:47,871 --> 00:12:50,838
{\an1}He has four of them
in his hangar.
256
00:12:50,871 --> 00:12:53,105
{\an1}And he was gracious enough
257
00:12:53,138 --> 00:12:56,005
to give a fellow
pilot the right seat.
258
00:12:56,038 --> 00:12:57,905
{\an1}All right, we're in.
259
00:12:57,938 --> 00:13:01,405
Contact, huh?
OLDHAM: Clear.
260
00:13:01,438 --> 00:13:04,038
(propeller hums)
Huh, that's amazing.
261
00:13:04,071 --> 00:13:06,505
{\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover):
It was as simple
as flipping a switch.
262
00:13:06,538 --> 00:13:08,271
That's it?
That's it.
263
00:13:09,605 --> 00:13:13,405
O'BRIEN:
It was weirdly quiet
as we taxied to the runway.
264
00:13:13,438 --> 00:13:16,205
OLDHAM:
The noisiest thing on
this airplane are the brakes.
265
00:13:16,238 --> 00:13:17,938
O'BRIEN:
And watch what happened
266
00:13:17,971 --> 00:13:20,138
when we stopped
to wait for traffic.
267
00:13:20,171 --> 00:13:23,238
OLDHAM:
You just sit here,
just like an electric car.
268
00:13:23,271 --> 00:13:25,205
O'BRIEN (laughing):
This just cracks me up.
269
00:13:25,238 --> 00:13:28,305
Yeah, anytime anybody
goes in this airplane
270
00:13:28,338 --> 00:13:30,438
that's used to
a conventional aircraft,
271
00:13:30,471 --> 00:13:33,271
that's what gets them.
272
00:13:36,671 --> 00:13:39,181
{\an1}CALDWELL (on radio):
Four Alpha Romeo,
you can go ahead and roll.
273
00:13:39,205 --> 00:13:42,671
{\an1}OLDHAM (on radio):
Four Alpha Romeo rolling.
274
00:13:42,705 --> 00:13:45,738
♪
275
00:13:50,538 --> 00:13:53,938
{\an1}It's interesting, it doesn't
vibrate in the same way.
276
00:13:53,971 --> 00:13:57,071
{\an1}OLDHAM:
Yeah, it's just very
comfortable and very relaxing.
277
00:13:57,105 --> 00:14:00,005
{\an1}Electric propulsion
systems are so simple
278
00:14:00,038 --> 00:14:02,438
{\an1}that really there's just nothing
279
00:14:02,471 --> 00:14:06,371
{\an1}that you really need
to be that concerned about.
280
00:14:06,405 --> 00:14:08,405
{\an1}Are we flying
the future right now?
281
00:14:08,438 --> 00:14:10,571
We absolutely are.
282
00:14:10,605 --> 00:14:12,238
{\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover):
It was a hazy day,
283
00:14:12,271 --> 00:14:14,738
{\an1}the result of some
raging wildfires nearby,
284
00:14:14,771 --> 00:14:18,171
{\an1}a reminder of the climate
emergency which makes
285
00:14:18,205 --> 00:14:22,105
{\an1}the decarbonization
of aviation so urgent.
286
00:14:22,138 --> 00:14:24,905
How important do you
think that is to think about
287
00:14:24,938 --> 00:14:29,171
{\an1}taking fossil fuels out
of aviation over the long run?
288
00:14:29,205 --> 00:14:31,305
Well, it's huge,
it's the only mode
289
00:14:31,338 --> 00:14:35,071
{\an1}of transportation
that really has not moved
290
00:14:35,105 --> 00:14:37,538
aggressively
towards zero emission.
291
00:14:37,571 --> 00:14:40,305
O'BRIEN:
He got the money
to purchase the planes
292
00:14:40,338 --> 00:14:43,171
by applying for
a grant from Fresno County
293
00:14:43,205 --> 00:14:48,038
{\an1}to demonstrate advanced
transportation technology.
294
00:14:48,071 --> 00:14:51,005
{\an1}He believes the planes,
along with charging stations
295
00:14:51,038 --> 00:14:54,205
{\an1}at airports within range,
will do just that.
296
00:14:54,238 --> 00:14:56,971
OLDHAM:
Well, we're heading
into land right now so...
297
00:14:57,005 --> 00:14:58,181
{\an1}You mind if I take
it for a minute?
298
00:14:58,205 --> 00:14:59,338
No, go ahead.
299
00:14:59,371 --> 00:15:00,471
{\an1}All right, good, thanks.
300
00:15:00,505 --> 00:15:01,638
{\an1}All right, let's do it.
301
00:15:02,538 --> 00:15:05,305
{\an1}Keep the ball centered.
Yep.
302
00:15:05,338 --> 00:15:07,638
OLDHAM:
There you go.
303
00:15:07,671 --> 00:15:09,938
O'BRIEN:
Ah, it's so smooth.
304
00:15:09,971 --> 00:15:12,571
(voiceover):
The range and endurance
are still pretty limited
305
00:15:12,605 --> 00:15:14,205
{\an1}by the batteries,
306
00:15:14,238 --> 00:15:16,771
{\an8}so I didn't get much stick time,
307
00:15:16,805 --> 00:15:18,805
{\an7}but it felt like a magic carpet.
308
00:15:20,405 --> 00:15:23,738
{\an8}OLDHAM:
Electric propulsion
opens up new opportunities
309
00:15:23,771 --> 00:15:28,071
{\an1}for use of almost 5,000
general-purpose airports
310
00:15:28,105 --> 00:15:31,971
{\an1}in the United States
that are mostly underutilized.
311
00:15:34,705 --> 00:15:37,405
{\an1}Nice work.
Thank you.
312
00:15:37,438 --> 00:15:39,471
♪
313
00:15:39,505 --> 00:15:41,081
O'BRIEN:
The company that
makes this airplane
314
00:15:41,105 --> 00:15:42,605
{\an1}is based in Slovenia.
315
00:15:42,638 --> 00:15:47,205
{\an1}Pipistrel is a pioneer
of electric aviation.
316
00:15:47,238 --> 00:15:50,638
{\an1}Founder Ivo Boscarol
started tinkering with
317
00:15:50,671 --> 00:15:53,205
{\an1}ultralight trikes in the 1980s.
318
00:15:53,238 --> 00:15:56,605
He designed
these electric planes
319
00:15:56,638 --> 00:15:59,305
{\an1}to be flight trainers
for new pilots.
320
00:16:01,205 --> 00:16:04,938
{\an1}And Joseph Oldham also
has that on his mind as well.
321
00:16:04,971 --> 00:16:07,238
{\an1}He is waiting for FAA approval
322
00:16:07,271 --> 00:16:10,005
{\an1}to start a flight school
with these planes.
323
00:16:10,038 --> 00:16:13,771
{\an1}And he thinks reduced
maintenance and no fuel costs
324
00:16:13,805 --> 00:16:18,371
{\an1}create an opportunity to bring
more diversity into aviation.
325
00:16:19,538 --> 00:16:24,405
While we spoke,
instructor Chris Caldwell
326
00:16:24,438 --> 00:16:27,005
{\an7}was giving student pilot
Michael Murphy
327
00:16:27,038 --> 00:16:31,171
{\an7}a lesson in a conventional
piston-powered airplane.
328
00:16:31,205 --> 00:16:33,371
{\an1}Take that nose down
just a little bit.
329
00:16:33,405 --> 00:16:36,205
{\an1}There you go,
doesn't take much.
Yeah.
330
00:16:38,438 --> 00:16:40,471
CALDWELL:
Hey, you wanna try
a no-flap landing?
331
00:16:40,505 --> 00:16:41,847
{\an5}Yeah, let's do
a no-flap landing.
Okay.
332
00:16:41,871 --> 00:16:43,438
{\an5}Let's see how
different that is.
Yeah.
333
00:16:43,805 --> 00:16:46,538
♪
334
00:16:46,571 --> 00:16:48,105
{\an1}(plane engine roaring)
335
00:16:48,138 --> 00:16:49,214
{\an1}O'BRIEN (laughing):
They are having fun.
336
00:16:49,238 --> 00:16:50,871
{\an1}They're having too much fun.
337
00:16:53,971 --> 00:16:55,871
That wasn't bad at all.
338
00:16:55,905 --> 00:16:57,305
{\an1}That was good, man.
339
00:16:57,338 --> 00:16:59,905
O'BRIEN:
Mike is a mentee
of Joseph Oldham's.
340
00:16:59,938 --> 00:17:03,738
{\an1}He aims to fly for
the airlines one day.
341
00:17:03,771 --> 00:17:07,438
{\an1}He hopes to be part of
the first generation of pilots
342
00:17:07,471 --> 00:17:09,905
{\an1}to begin their training
in state-of-the-art
343
00:17:09,938 --> 00:17:12,205
{\an1}electric airplanes,
344
00:17:12,238 --> 00:17:16,838
{\an1}not 50-year-old relics
that burn leaded gasoline.
345
00:17:16,871 --> 00:17:18,971
{\an1}Do you think electric
airplanes are going to be
346
00:17:19,005 --> 00:17:21,871
{\an1}a game changer for making
aviation accessible
347
00:17:21,905 --> 00:17:24,038
{\an1}to a broader spectrum of people?
348
00:17:24,071 --> 00:17:25,405
{\an1}Definitely, definitely.
349
00:17:25,438 --> 00:17:27,705
{\an1}Well, you're paying 200 bucks,
you know, an hour
350
00:17:27,738 --> 00:17:30,371
{\an1}to fly one of these little
old 1960 airplanes,
351
00:17:30,405 --> 00:17:31,805
{\an1}you know what I mean?
352
00:17:31,838 --> 00:17:33,781
{\an7}So, definitely, I think
it does open up more doors
353
00:17:33,805 --> 00:17:36,371
{\an7}for people to get their foot
into aviation, at least,
354
00:17:36,405 --> 00:17:38,305
{\an7}just kind of start off,
you know,
355
00:17:38,338 --> 00:17:40,705
{\an8}by flying these
little airplanes.
356
00:17:40,738 --> 00:17:43,771
{\an1}What we're looking at
is solving a pilot shortage
357
00:17:43,805 --> 00:17:47,605
{\an1}and then also opening the door
for more people of color,
358
00:17:47,638 --> 00:17:49,905
more people from
different backgrounds,
359
00:17:49,938 --> 00:17:52,738
{\an1}ethnicities, nationalities,
360
00:17:52,771 --> 00:17:55,138
and that's an
international issue.
361
00:17:55,171 --> 00:17:58,005
O'BRIEN:
Two seats and only
an hour of flight
362
00:17:58,038 --> 00:17:59,805
{\an1}before the battery runs out,
363
00:17:59,838 --> 00:18:02,738
{\an1}the Alpha Electro
is a case in point
364
00:18:02,771 --> 00:18:06,371
of the infancy
of all-electric aviation.
365
00:18:06,405 --> 00:18:09,138
{\an1}It is a long way from this...
366
00:18:09,171 --> 00:18:13,838
{\an1}to that, a long-haul
jet airliner.
367
00:18:13,871 --> 00:18:17,471
♪
368
00:18:17,505 --> 00:18:19,605
{\an1}The flight path between the two
369
00:18:19,638 --> 00:18:21,938
{\an1}may be wending its way
370
00:18:21,971 --> 00:18:25,738
{\an1}through this small hangar
in Camarillo, California.
371
00:18:25,771 --> 00:18:29,638
{\an1}Here, a small start-up
company called Ampaire
372
00:18:29,671 --> 00:18:35,371
{\an1}has modified a 1974 Cessna
337 Skymaster.
373
00:18:35,405 --> 00:18:39,105
A twin engine...
One pushes, one pulls.
374
00:18:40,938 --> 00:18:43,371
They replaced
the forward piston engine
375
00:18:43,405 --> 00:18:45,071
{\an1}with an electric motor
376
00:18:45,105 --> 00:18:48,405
{\an1}and added a 600 pound
battery pack to the belly.
377
00:18:48,438 --> 00:18:51,405
{\an1}It's a hybrid they call the EEL.
378
00:18:51,438 --> 00:18:53,505
♪
379
00:18:53,538 --> 00:18:55,438
I think we really
need to focus on
380
00:18:55,471 --> 00:18:57,671
dialing in the
propulsion system first.
381
00:18:57,705 --> 00:18:59,938
O'BRIEN:
Brice Nzeukou is the director
382
00:18:59,971 --> 00:19:02,938
of business
and product development.
383
00:19:02,971 --> 00:19:05,671
{\an7}We strongly believe
in a fully electric future,
384
00:19:05,705 --> 00:19:07,938
{\an7}but we're waiting for
regulations to develop,
385
00:19:07,971 --> 00:19:09,771
{\an8}for technology
to develop, as well,
386
00:19:09,805 --> 00:19:12,405
{\an1}before we will see
full electrification.
387
00:19:12,438 --> 00:19:15,071
{\an1}Hybrid is the way
to enter the market.
388
00:19:15,105 --> 00:19:19,038
O'BRIEN:
They have flown
dozens of test flights.
389
00:19:19,071 --> 00:19:22,438
{\an1}The electric motor does
most of its work on take off
390
00:19:22,471 --> 00:19:25,038
{\an1}and the climb to altitude.
391
00:19:25,071 --> 00:19:26,738
{\an1}And then the piston engine
392
00:19:26,771 --> 00:19:29,471
takes the brunt
for cruise and descent.
393
00:19:31,271 --> 00:19:34,171
Fuel costs are
reduced by 20 to 30 percent,
394
00:19:34,205 --> 00:19:37,538
{\an1}maintenance bills cut in half.
395
00:19:37,571 --> 00:19:39,971
NZEUKOU:
We are trying
to bring this technology
396
00:19:40,005 --> 00:19:41,805
to market as
quickly as possible.
397
00:19:41,838 --> 00:19:45,905
{\an1}And so we felt that
going the retrofit route
398
00:19:45,938 --> 00:19:48,905
{\an1}and starting with hybrid,
as well, versus fully electric,
399
00:19:48,938 --> 00:19:51,205
provided a great
mix of performance,
400
00:19:51,238 --> 00:19:54,005
cost savings, and our ability
401
00:19:54,038 --> 00:19:57,171
{\an1}to get it done technically
in a timely manner.
402
00:20:00,638 --> 00:20:03,305
O'BRIEN:
Not long after this flight test,
403
00:20:03,338 --> 00:20:05,671
{\an1}they took the EEL to Hawaii.
404
00:20:05,705 --> 00:20:07,138
♪
405
00:20:07,171 --> 00:20:09,371
{\an1}The company partnered
with Mokulele Airlines
406
00:20:09,405 --> 00:20:13,038
{\an1}to see how it handles
commuter airline operations
407
00:20:13,071 --> 00:20:16,905
{\an1}with frequent flights and short
turnarounds between them.
408
00:20:16,938 --> 00:20:18,871
NZEUKOU:
That would be
really tough to do
409
00:20:18,905 --> 00:20:20,238
{\an1}in a fully electric plane
410
00:20:20,271 --> 00:20:22,505
{\an1}because you would have
to plug in and charge.
411
00:20:22,538 --> 00:20:27,238
{\an1}That's why this hybrid approach
for us really made sense.
412
00:20:27,271 --> 00:20:30,371
O'BRIEN:
Ampaire is hoping the next
step will look like this,
413
00:20:30,405 --> 00:20:34,571
a converted 19-seat twin Otter,
414
00:20:34,605 --> 00:20:36,971
{\an1}with electric motors
that run on batteries
415
00:20:37,005 --> 00:20:41,838
{\an1}charged by an on-board
turbine engine.
416
00:20:41,871 --> 00:20:43,705
♪
417
00:20:43,738 --> 00:20:45,171
Welcome to my hangar.
418
00:20:45,205 --> 00:20:47,138
O'BRIEN:
Susan Ying is Ampaire's
419
00:20:47,171 --> 00:20:49,505
{\an1}senior VP of global
partnerships.
420
00:20:49,538 --> 00:20:51,505
YING:
These regional airplanes
421
00:20:51,538 --> 00:20:54,271
{\an7}buy Turboprop, or even jets,
422
00:20:54,305 --> 00:20:56,305
{\an7}they're not making the profit.
423
00:20:56,338 --> 00:20:58,638
{\an1}In some of the regional
market airlines,
424
00:20:58,671 --> 00:20:59,971
{\an1}they're going out of business
425
00:21:00,005 --> 00:21:02,871
{\an1}because they have
very thin margin.
426
00:21:02,905 --> 00:21:05,905
{\an1}Electric aviation
is going to change that.
427
00:21:08,638 --> 00:21:10,438
O'BRIEN:
The idea of jump-starting
428
00:21:10,471 --> 00:21:13,038
{\an1}electrified aviation
with hybrids,
429
00:21:13,071 --> 00:21:16,371
{\an1}just as the Prius did for
fully electric cars,
430
00:21:16,405 --> 00:21:19,571
{\an1}is gaining traction
in other places.
431
00:21:19,605 --> 00:21:22,438
{\an1}Like the Dogpatch,
432
00:21:22,471 --> 00:21:25,138
{\an1}the San Francisco
neighborhood that was once
433
00:21:25,171 --> 00:21:27,405
{\an1}home of some shipyards,
434
00:21:27,438 --> 00:21:32,338
{\an1}is now filled with
young innovators thinking big.
435
00:21:32,371 --> 00:21:33,571
And there it is.
436
00:21:33,605 --> 00:21:36,738
O'BRIEN:
But in this case, not too big,
437
00:21:36,771 --> 00:21:39,605
{\an1}or so Kofi Asante hopes.
438
00:21:39,638 --> 00:21:41,638
ASANTE:
And what would you
imagine the time before
439
00:21:41,671 --> 00:21:43,538
{\an1}overhaul is going to look like?
440
00:21:43,571 --> 00:21:46,238
O'BRIEN:
He's head of strategy
and business development
441
00:21:46,271 --> 00:21:49,638
{\an1}for a small start-up
called Elroy Air.
442
00:21:49,671 --> 00:21:53,405
{\an8}They are focused
on an unpiloted vehicle
443
00:21:53,438 --> 00:21:56,105
{\an7}that can carry 300 pounds
of payload
444
00:21:56,138 --> 00:22:00,138
{\an8}for 300 miles
at 140 miles per hour.
445
00:22:00,171 --> 00:22:01,347
{\an8}ASANTE:
If it's at one warehouse
446
00:22:01,371 --> 00:22:03,005
{\an8}and needs to be
at another warehouse,
447
00:22:03,038 --> 00:22:05,771
{\an7}but it can't get there in time,
you can all of a sudden enable
448
00:22:05,805 --> 00:22:09,605
{\an7}same-day delivery in a way
that wasn't previously possible.
449
00:22:09,638 --> 00:22:11,505
♪
450
00:22:11,538 --> 00:22:14,005
O'BRIEN:
Batteries alone
would not do the job.
451
00:22:14,038 --> 00:22:17,938
{\an1}The range would be limited
to 30, maybe 50, miles.
452
00:22:17,971 --> 00:22:22,305
{\an1}So it also has an
internal combustion engine.
453
00:22:22,338 --> 00:22:26,371
{\an1}Terik Weekes is Elroy's
chief engineer.
454
00:22:26,405 --> 00:22:29,338
WEEKES:
In order to get
something to market,
455
00:22:29,371 --> 00:22:32,671
{\an1}one, we need to focus
on an unmanned vehicle
456
00:22:32,705 --> 00:22:36,505
{\an1}and then, two, focus on
the hybrid electric vehicle.
457
00:22:36,538 --> 00:22:39,805
{\an1}This technology allows us to
have a more efficient aircraft
458
00:22:39,838 --> 00:22:43,771
{\an1}and have something that's
more economically viable.
459
00:22:43,805 --> 00:22:45,547
{\an7}Hopefully these vehicles
will eventually become
460
00:22:45,571 --> 00:22:47,505
{\an8}all-electric,
but we just don't know when.
461
00:22:48,638 --> 00:22:52,038
O'BRIEN:
They have hover tested
this model,
462
00:22:52,071 --> 00:22:55,638
{\an1}and now are designing
the next iteration.
463
00:22:55,671 --> 00:22:59,571
{\an1}They believe it can help in
the wake of natural disasters,
464
00:22:59,605 --> 00:23:01,571
{\an1}or wherever there are obstacles
465
00:23:01,605 --> 00:23:05,405
{\an1}to getting urgent items
where they are needed,
466
00:23:05,438 --> 00:23:07,105
like vaccines.
467
00:23:07,138 --> 00:23:08,138
ASANTE:
Never before
468
00:23:08,171 --> 00:23:09,738
{\an1}has rapid delivery,
469
00:23:09,771 --> 00:23:11,638
{\an1}especially of urgent,
like, medical supplies,
470
00:23:11,671 --> 00:23:13,871
or e-commerce,
been this important.
471
00:23:13,905 --> 00:23:17,205
{\an1}It's just shot through the roof
exponentially overnight.
472
00:23:17,238 --> 00:23:19,114
{\an1}Our goal is to try
and be a part of that solution
473
00:23:19,138 --> 00:23:20,771
to help us get in a better spot.
474
00:23:20,805 --> 00:23:24,338
O'BRIEN:
But Elroy is thinking
beyond delivery drones
475
00:23:24,371 --> 00:23:29,005
{\an1}to another mission,
which began with another Elroy.
476
00:23:29,038 --> 00:23:30,738
SINGERS:
♪ His boy, Elroy!
477
00:23:30,771 --> 00:23:33,071
O'BRIEN:
Yes, that Elroy.
478
00:23:33,105 --> 00:23:36,371
The company was, and still is,
479
00:23:36,405 --> 00:23:38,871
{\an1}dreaming of the Jetsons'
flying car.
480
00:23:38,905 --> 00:23:41,605
ASANTE:
We believe that there
will be a time where
481
00:23:41,638 --> 00:23:45,005
{\an1}people are likely in
flying cars and flying taxis.
482
00:23:45,038 --> 00:23:46,905
{\an1}It's hard to tell whether
that's going be now
483
00:23:46,938 --> 00:23:48,838
or at what point
in time in the future.
484
00:23:48,871 --> 00:23:51,905
{\an8}♪
485
00:23:51,938 --> 00:23:55,905
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
Imagine a world filled
with flying cars.
486
00:23:55,938 --> 00:23:58,471
{\an7}Electric propulsion might
deliver the freedom
487
00:23:58,505 --> 00:24:01,305
{\an7}of flight to our doorsteps.
488
00:24:01,338 --> 00:24:03,638
♪
489
00:24:06,905 --> 00:24:09,271
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
In China, one start-up
is testing the waters,
490
00:24:09,305 --> 00:24:11,371
{\an7}on drones big enough...
491
00:24:12,705 --> 00:24:15,305
{\an8}to fly people,
492
00:24:15,338 --> 00:24:18,838
{\an1}mostly on sightseeing tours
of no more than ten minutes.
493
00:24:21,338 --> 00:24:24,371
{\an1}It is the EHang 216...
494
00:24:24,405 --> 00:24:27,771
Two passengers, 16 propellers.
495
00:24:33,005 --> 00:24:36,438
O'BRIEN:
It's not the first
flight for this passenger.
496
00:24:36,471 --> 00:24:41,271
{\an1}Edward Xu is chief strategy
officer of EHang.
497
00:24:41,305 --> 00:24:44,605
XU:
It's very smooth,
just like an elevator.
498
00:24:44,638 --> 00:24:47,105
{\an1}You don't have to be a pilot.
499
00:24:47,138 --> 00:24:49,971
{\an7}You just are simply
sitting as a passenger
500
00:24:50,005 --> 00:24:53,438
{\an7}and this aircraft will take
you to your destination.
501
00:24:53,471 --> 00:24:58,705
O'BRIEN:
The company claims
it can carry 485 pounds
502
00:24:58,738 --> 00:25:03,205
{\an1}up to 80 miles per hour,
for about 20 miles.
503
00:25:03,238 --> 00:25:05,038
{\an1}Not nearly enough capability
504
00:25:05,071 --> 00:25:08,371
{\an1}to change the face
of personal transportation,
505
00:25:08,405 --> 00:25:10,738
{\an1}but it has proven people
are willing to try it,
506
00:25:10,771 --> 00:25:13,538
{\an1}even without a pilot.
507
00:25:13,571 --> 00:25:18,171
{\an1}The company claims more than
6,000 have flown so far.
508
00:25:18,205 --> 00:25:21,371
XU:
Our company is a very
innovative company.
509
00:25:21,405 --> 00:25:23,471
{\an1}We are doing something
to change the world.
510
00:25:23,505 --> 00:25:26,671
{\an1}We are doing something
that nobody has done before.
511
00:25:26,705 --> 00:25:29,371
O'BRIEN:
But they have
a lot of competition.
512
00:25:29,405 --> 00:25:33,238
EHang is among
at least 200 start-ups
513
00:25:33,271 --> 00:25:36,805
{\an1}across the globe,
racing to fill the skies
514
00:25:36,838 --> 00:25:39,871
{\an1}with electric vehicles.
515
00:25:39,905 --> 00:25:41,638
{\an1}For decades, aerospace has,
516
00:25:41,671 --> 00:25:44,071
{\an1}for the most part,
stayed relatively similar.
517
00:25:44,105 --> 00:25:47,605
{\an1}And now, you're starting
to see a lot of groups
518
00:25:47,638 --> 00:25:49,805
{\an1}starting companies,
whether it be for
519
00:25:49,838 --> 00:25:52,305
smaller drones,
or larger cargo drones,
520
00:25:52,338 --> 00:25:53,538
{\an1}or flying taxis or cars.
521
00:25:53,571 --> 00:25:56,505
{\an1}There's been all sorts
of movement there.
522
00:25:56,538 --> 00:25:58,838
O'BRIEN:
Before the pandemic,
523
00:25:58,871 --> 00:26:01,438
{\an1}I met with aeronautical
engineer Mark Moore,
524
00:26:01,471 --> 00:26:04,671
{\an1}who sparked a lot
of this creative thinking.
525
00:26:04,705 --> 00:26:07,605
{\an1}In 2009, then with NASA,
526
00:26:07,638 --> 00:26:11,805
{\an7}he designed a concept
vehicle called the Puffin.
527
00:26:11,838 --> 00:26:13,305
{\an8}MOORE:
It was a single-person
528
00:26:13,338 --> 00:26:15,971
{\an7}electric vertical take-off
and landing aircraft
529
00:26:16,005 --> 00:26:20,038
{\an7}that really opened the door
to everyone's eyes
530
00:26:20,071 --> 00:26:22,271
{\an7}of what electric vertical
531
00:26:22,305 --> 00:26:24,338
{\an7}take-off and landing
aircraft could be.
532
00:26:24,371 --> 00:26:27,505
{\an7}And so we actually
called the Puffin
533
00:26:27,538 --> 00:26:29,105
{\an7}the Gridlock Commuter,
534
00:26:29,138 --> 00:26:31,938
{\an8}and that name
just instantly clicked.
535
00:26:33,438 --> 00:26:35,571
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
One of the people
fascinated by Puffin?
536
00:26:35,605 --> 00:26:39,038
{\an1}Google co-founder Larry Page.
537
00:26:39,071 --> 00:26:40,838
{\an1}Soon after he saw it,
538
00:26:40,871 --> 00:26:45,105
{\an1}he began investing in personal
electric aircraft projects.
539
00:26:45,138 --> 00:26:48,171
♪
540
00:26:50,005 --> 00:26:53,238
At a ranch south
of Silicon Valley,
541
00:26:53,271 --> 00:26:56,038
{\an1}a small team from one
of those companies,
542
00:26:56,071 --> 00:26:59,238
Kitty Hawk,
is flight testing a single-seat
543
00:26:59,271 --> 00:27:02,138
{\an1}electric aircraft
called Heaviside.
544
00:27:04,038 --> 00:27:06,505
The company
is led by entrepreneur
545
00:27:06,538 --> 00:27:10,538
{\an1}and computer scientist
Sebastian Thrun.
546
00:27:10,571 --> 00:27:13,905
{\an1}He invited us for a rare peek
547
00:27:13,938 --> 00:27:16,271
{\an1}and a slick pitch.
548
00:27:16,305 --> 00:27:18,671
THRUN:
This might sound crazy,
549
00:27:18,705 --> 00:27:22,505
{\an1}but we believe it's the future
of transportation for everybody.
550
00:27:22,538 --> 00:27:24,238
THRUN:
If you put the car in the air,
551
00:27:24,271 --> 00:27:26,605
{\an7}there's no obstacle,
you go in a straight line,
552
00:27:26,638 --> 00:27:28,271
{\an7}you're not in anyone's way.
553
00:27:28,305 --> 00:27:31,638
{\an7}You don't need roads anymore,
you're more energy efficient.
554
00:27:31,671 --> 00:27:33,805
{\an1}You're faster, you're safer.
555
00:27:33,838 --> 00:27:36,138
{\an1}Why would people not want that?
556
00:27:36,171 --> 00:27:38,605
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
It's an electric vertical
557
00:27:38,638 --> 00:27:42,905
{\an7}take-off and landing
vehicle, or eVTOL.
558
00:27:42,938 --> 00:27:45,305
{\an7}The propellers pivot the thrust
559
00:27:45,338 --> 00:27:47,138
{\an7}from horizontal to vertical,
560
00:27:47,171 --> 00:27:51,205
{\an7}allowing the craft to take off
and land on a dime...
561
00:27:52,471 --> 00:27:56,338
{\an8}And still fly
180 miles per hour.
562
00:27:56,371 --> 00:27:58,971
{\an8}♪
563
00:27:59,005 --> 00:28:00,005
{\an8}MAN:
Enabled.
564
00:28:00,038 --> 00:28:01,371
{\an8}Here we go.
565
00:28:01,405 --> 00:28:03,771
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
The Kitty Hawk team
is flight testing,
566
00:28:03,805 --> 00:28:06,805
{\an7}aiming to be certified
for piloted flight
567
00:28:06,838 --> 00:28:09,405
by the Federal
Aviation Administration.
568
00:28:09,438 --> 00:28:10,971
{\an1}Tilting.
569
00:28:11,005 --> 00:28:12,571
THRUN:
We've built over a hundred
570
00:28:12,605 --> 00:28:15,171
{\an1}fully functioning prototypes
in the last years.
571
00:28:15,205 --> 00:28:18,205
{\an1}We've done almost 30,000
572
00:28:18,238 --> 00:28:22,138
{\an1}individual flights,
and we've learned a lot.
573
00:28:22,171 --> 00:28:26,071
{\an1}We had, of course,
incidents from which we learn.
574
00:28:26,105 --> 00:28:29,605
{\an1}Luckily, no one was ever hurt,
we have always been safe.
575
00:28:29,638 --> 00:28:31,471
{\an1}But yeah, it's been
an evolution to make sure
576
00:28:31,505 --> 00:28:34,538
{\an1}that even the weakest part
of the aircraft is strong.
577
00:28:37,771 --> 00:28:40,805
O'BRIEN:
Thrun believes
the way to reconcile
578
00:28:40,838 --> 00:28:44,205
{\an1}his big dream of a Heaviside
in every driveway,
579
00:28:44,238 --> 00:28:47,238
{\an1}with safety, is automation.
580
00:28:47,271 --> 00:28:51,571
THRUN:
People without
a full piloting skill set
581
00:28:51,605 --> 00:28:56,138
{\an1}and certification should
be able to hop into those,
582
00:28:56,171 --> 00:28:58,371
{\an1}punch in their target
address and get there.
583
00:28:58,405 --> 00:29:01,971
{\an1}Before that, there's many
steps we have to cross,
584
00:29:02,005 --> 00:29:04,838
{\an1}but I see no technical reason
585
00:29:04,871 --> 00:29:07,571
{\an1}why we couldn't accomplish
this with this aircraft.
586
00:29:07,605 --> 00:29:11,471
{\an1}The reason why we do electric
is we are just super quiet,
587
00:29:11,505 --> 00:29:15,238
{\an1}like we fly over you
and you can't hear us.
588
00:29:16,838 --> 00:29:19,305
O'BRIEN:
Sebastian Thrun is a pioneer
589
00:29:19,338 --> 00:29:22,671
{\an1}in the development
of autonomous cars.
590
00:29:22,705 --> 00:29:27,471
{\an1}He is the founder of Google's
self-driving car project.
591
00:29:27,505 --> 00:29:32,105
{\an1}He says self-flying aircraft
are an easier challenge.
592
00:29:32,138 --> 00:29:34,471
THRUN:
All the stuff to hit
from your bicyclist,
593
00:29:34,505 --> 00:29:36,905
{\an1}to your playing child,
to your curb, to your shrub,
594
00:29:36,938 --> 00:29:38,905
{\an1}they're all on the ground.
595
00:29:38,938 --> 00:29:41,705
{\an1}You go up 500 feet
and there's nothing to hit.
596
00:29:41,738 --> 00:29:44,271
{\an1}And as we go through this,
597
00:29:44,305 --> 00:29:46,838
{\an1}we've made it safer
and safer and safer,
598
00:29:46,871 --> 00:29:50,538
{\an1}in part by adding
more and more redundancy.
599
00:29:50,571 --> 00:29:54,038
O'BRIEN:
But wait, no pilot?
600
00:29:54,071 --> 00:29:56,105
{\an1}Automation might be safer,
601
00:29:56,138 --> 00:29:58,738
but I'm not sure
I'm ready to take the likes
602
00:29:58,771 --> 00:30:01,871
of Wendy Kraft
out of this picture.
603
00:30:01,905 --> 00:30:07,038
{\an1}Which brings me back to my
mysterious helicopter ride,
604
00:30:07,071 --> 00:30:10,338
{\an1}to get a glimpse of its
21st century successor.
605
00:30:14,638 --> 00:30:16,971
Maybe we should
step over and see
606
00:30:17,005 --> 00:30:18,671
how it is to sit
in the aircraft...
607
00:30:18,705 --> 00:30:23,871
O'BRIEN:
JoeBen Bevirt founded
Joby Aviation in 2009.
608
00:30:23,905 --> 00:30:26,971
The aircraft he
and his team designed
609
00:30:27,005 --> 00:30:31,171
{\an1}is now in flight testing
for FAA certification.
610
00:30:31,205 --> 00:30:33,305
It's the current
leader in the race
611
00:30:33,338 --> 00:30:36,671
{\an1}to fill the world
with electric air taxis.
612
00:30:36,705 --> 00:30:38,271
BEVIRT:
This aircraft is
613
00:30:38,305 --> 00:30:39,571
{\an7}the culmination of a decade
614
00:30:39,605 --> 00:30:42,338
{\an7}of research and development
into how to build
615
00:30:42,371 --> 00:30:46,505
{\an7}an incredibly safe, quiet,
and cost-effective aircraft.
616
00:30:46,538 --> 00:30:49,871
O'BRIEN:
It carries a pilot
and four passengers
617
00:30:49,905 --> 00:30:52,038
{\an1}under six tilting motors.
618
00:30:52,071 --> 00:30:53,671
BEVIRT:
It provides us an aircraft
619
00:30:53,705 --> 00:30:55,505
{\an1}which is incredibly
good at hovering
620
00:30:55,538 --> 00:30:57,438
{\an1}and incredibly good at cruising.
621
00:30:57,471 --> 00:30:59,005
{\an1}That efficiency and cruise
622
00:30:59,038 --> 00:31:02,071
{\an1}is what gets us our
range and gets us our speed.
623
00:31:02,105 --> 00:31:05,305
O'BRIEN:
He says it can fly
200 miles per hour
624
00:31:05,338 --> 00:31:07,905
{\an1}and has a range of 150 miles.
625
00:31:07,938 --> 00:31:10,171
BEVIRT:
There are four
batteries in the aircraft.
626
00:31:10,205 --> 00:31:12,705
{\an1}The batteries that we have
in this aircraft right now
627
00:31:12,738 --> 00:31:14,871
{\an1}are the batteries that we're
going to production with
628
00:31:14,905 --> 00:31:17,405
{\an1}and they provide us
the range and performance
629
00:31:17,438 --> 00:31:20,905
{\an1}that we need to fundamentally
transform transportation.
630
00:31:23,238 --> 00:31:26,938
O'BRIEN:
Joby designs, tests, and builds
631
00:31:26,971 --> 00:31:29,605
{\an1}almost all the components
of its aircraft,
632
00:31:29,638 --> 00:31:33,405
{\an1}giving new meaning to the term
vertical integration.
633
00:31:33,438 --> 00:31:34,947
BEVIRT:
We developed the battery packs,
634
00:31:34,971 --> 00:31:36,214
we developed
the propulsion systems,
635
00:31:36,238 --> 00:31:37,738
we developed the actuators,
636
00:31:37,771 --> 00:31:39,438
{\an1}we developed the inceptors...
637
00:31:39,471 --> 00:31:40,881
{\an1}everything that you see
here is something that
638
00:31:40,905 --> 00:31:42,938
{\an1}is being developed
and manufactured in-house.
639
00:31:42,971 --> 00:31:46,238
O'BRIEN:
Much of the work was
done in secret in a barn
640
00:31:46,271 --> 00:31:50,738
{\an1}on a secluded property among
the redwoods in Santa Cruz.
641
00:31:50,771 --> 00:31:52,705
BEVIRT:
I wanted a place to be able to
642
00:31:52,738 --> 00:31:54,971
{\an1}experiment and try crazy things.
643
00:31:55,005 --> 00:31:57,371
O'BRIEN:
There's an old quarry
here where they did a lot
644
00:31:57,405 --> 00:31:59,305
{\an1}of early flight testing.
645
00:31:59,338 --> 00:32:02,671
{\an1}These days, it is home
to a circular track
646
00:32:02,705 --> 00:32:04,905
where they test
motors for endurance.
647
00:32:04,938 --> 00:32:06,638
BEVIRT:
There were a number
of years where
648
00:32:06,671 --> 00:32:09,605
{\an1}we went through a huge amount
of iteration
649
00:32:09,638 --> 00:32:12,538
{\an1}and trial and error
to learn about
650
00:32:12,571 --> 00:32:14,871
{\an1}what were the best
aircraft configurations.
651
00:32:14,905 --> 00:32:16,538
{\an3}MAN:
Start confirmed.
652
00:32:16,571 --> 00:32:17,838
We're at idle.
653
00:32:17,871 --> 00:32:20,071
{\an1}I'm gonna bring it to 200 rpm.
654
00:32:20,105 --> 00:32:21,705
BEVIRT:
Electric propulsion opens up
655
00:32:21,738 --> 00:32:23,938
{\an1}a huge amount of design freedom.
656
00:32:23,971 --> 00:32:26,738
{\an1}It allows you to think
really differently about
657
00:32:26,771 --> 00:32:30,505
{\an1}how you apply the propulsion
to the aircraft.
658
00:32:30,538 --> 00:32:34,805
{\an1}31 knots, 33 knots.
659
00:32:34,838 --> 00:32:36,871
BEVIRT:
The aircraft that you've seen
660
00:32:36,905 --> 00:32:40,005
{\an1}is the culmination of
many years of exploration.
661
00:32:40,038 --> 00:32:42,971
♪
662
00:32:43,005 --> 00:32:44,771
O'BRIEN:
Back at the airstrip,
663
00:32:44,805 --> 00:32:47,738
{\an1}I met chief test pilot
Justin Paines,
664
00:32:47,771 --> 00:32:50,971
who spent years
in the Royal Air Force
665
00:32:51,005 --> 00:32:54,971
{\an1}flying Harrier vertical
take-off and landing jets.
666
00:32:55,005 --> 00:32:57,905
{\an1}So, how much easier is this
to fly, relative to a Harrier,
667
00:32:57,938 --> 00:32:59,705
or for that matter,
a helicopter?
668
00:32:59,738 --> 00:33:01,338
{\an7}Chalk and cheese.
669
00:33:01,371 --> 00:33:03,471
{\an7}I could put you in it,
I could stand behind you,
670
00:33:03,505 --> 00:33:05,438
{\an7}and we could go flying
and you'd be quite capable
671
00:33:05,471 --> 00:33:07,905
{\an7}of flying the airplane,
it's that simple to fly.
672
00:33:07,938 --> 00:33:10,505
O'BRIEN:
The goal is to have the aircraft
673
00:33:10,538 --> 00:33:13,938
{\an1}initially certified
for flight with a pilot.
674
00:33:15,905 --> 00:33:17,971
The aircraft has
flown hundreds of times,
675
00:33:18,005 --> 00:33:21,138
{\an1}mostly by remote control.
676
00:33:21,171 --> 00:33:22,471
{\an8}Obviously you're still learning,
677
00:33:22,505 --> 00:33:23,981
{\an8}but is it flying
the way you imagined it?
678
00:33:24,005 --> 00:33:26,605
{\an1}Yes, this aircraft
is flying incredibly well,
679
00:33:26,638 --> 00:33:28,471
{\an1}it's a dream come true,
680
00:33:28,505 --> 00:33:30,838
{\an1}and we're really excited
to put it into production
681
00:33:30,871 --> 00:33:32,471
and share it with the world.
682
00:33:32,505 --> 00:33:35,638
♪
683
00:33:35,671 --> 00:33:37,805
O'BRIEN:
Still media wary,
684
00:33:37,838 --> 00:33:40,171
JoeBen Bevirt
allowed us to watch,
685
00:33:40,205 --> 00:33:43,705
{\an1}but would not let us film
one of their test flights.
686
00:33:43,738 --> 00:33:45,605
I was impressed.
687
00:33:45,638 --> 00:33:50,071
{\an1}It is remarkably quiet,
much quieter than a helicopter.
688
00:33:50,105 --> 00:33:53,471
{\an1}But the video the company
shot and shared with us later
689
00:33:53,505 --> 00:33:56,671
has no audio,
so the only public recording
690
00:33:56,705 --> 00:34:00,671
{\an1}of its noise signature
is captured in this promo,
691
00:34:00,705 --> 00:34:04,571
{\an1}announcing Joby is now
publicly traded by merging
692
00:34:04,605 --> 00:34:07,005
{\an1}with a special purpose
acquisition company.
693
00:34:07,038 --> 00:34:09,638
{\an1}Thank you so much.
694
00:34:12,538 --> 00:34:15,971
♪
695
00:34:16,005 --> 00:34:18,171
O'BRIEN:
On paper, Joby was worth
696
00:34:18,205 --> 00:34:22,805
$6.6 billion
when it went public.
697
00:34:22,838 --> 00:34:27,371
{\an1}The company hopes to have
the aircraft certified in 2023.
698
00:34:27,405 --> 00:34:30,505
BEVIRT:
We want to be comparable in cost
699
00:34:30,538 --> 00:34:33,271
to the price
of a taxi at launch,
700
00:34:33,305 --> 00:34:35,438
{\an1}and bring that cost
down to the cost
701
00:34:35,471 --> 00:34:38,605
{\an1}of personal car ownership
over the coming years.
702
00:34:38,638 --> 00:34:42,738
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
Uber spent millions
developing air taxi concepts,
703
00:34:42,771 --> 00:34:44,405
{\an8}but in the midst
of the pandemic,
704
00:34:44,438 --> 00:34:47,538
{\an7}sold its notional
flight division to Joby.
705
00:34:47,571 --> 00:34:51,271
{\an1}No one can accuse JoeBen
Bevirt of thinking small.
706
00:34:51,305 --> 00:34:52,438
BEVIRT:
In order to have
707
00:34:52,471 --> 00:34:54,438
the impact that we want to have
708
00:34:54,471 --> 00:34:58,805
{\an1}in order to transform the way
everyone moves every day,
709
00:34:58,838 --> 00:35:01,071
{\an1}we will need to make
millions of these.
710
00:35:01,105 --> 00:35:05,505
{\an1}Our mission is to save
a billion people an hour a day.
711
00:35:05,538 --> 00:35:08,871
{\an8}♪
712
00:35:08,905 --> 00:35:12,505
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
A billion people
flying air taxis?
713
00:35:12,538 --> 00:35:15,405
{\an7}How could that be safe?
714
00:35:17,905 --> 00:35:21,071
{\an1}At NASA's Ames Research Center
in Silicon Valley,
715
00:35:21,105 --> 00:35:24,471
{\an1}they're tackling the
air traffic control challenge.
716
00:35:26,505 --> 00:35:29,638
{\an1}That's what led me here,
to the legendary
717
00:35:29,671 --> 00:35:32,338
{\an1}Vertical Motion Simulator.
718
00:35:32,371 --> 00:35:35,138
{\an1}Once upon a time,
space shuttle astronauts
719
00:35:35,171 --> 00:35:37,471
{\an1}honed their landing skills here.
720
00:35:37,505 --> 00:35:40,571
There's nothing
like it anywhere else.
721
00:35:40,605 --> 00:35:42,138
{\an1}Back on glide slope...
722
00:35:42,171 --> 00:35:45,371
O'BRIEN:
And now, NASA is using
it to understand
723
00:35:45,405 --> 00:35:48,738
{\an1}how to devise a safe
air traffic control system
724
00:35:48,771 --> 00:35:52,905
{\an1}for advanced air mobility.
725
00:35:52,938 --> 00:35:54,571
{\an1}Hey, Gordon, how are you?
726
00:35:54,605 --> 00:35:56,071
HARDY:
Hey, great, Miles.
727
00:35:56,105 --> 00:35:57,671
{\an1}Let's go eVTOL flying, shall we?
728
00:35:57,705 --> 00:35:59,671
Good to see you, yeah, hop in.
729
00:35:59,705 --> 00:36:03,205
{\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover):
Before the pandemic,
veteran NASA test pilot
730
00:36:03,238 --> 00:36:06,571
{\an1}Gordon Hardy gave me
a glimpse of the future.
731
00:36:06,605 --> 00:36:08,005
NICK:
All right, computer's ready.
732
00:36:08,038 --> 00:36:09,038
{\an1}Cockpit's ready.
733
00:36:09,071 --> 00:36:10,871
Operate.
734
00:36:10,905 --> 00:36:16,171
O'BRIEN:
So we're over San Francisco
on a nice sunny day.
735
00:36:16,205 --> 00:36:17,481
So I'm trying
to imagine this city
736
00:36:17,505 --> 00:36:21,405
{\an1}with hundreds of these
aircraft buzzing around it.
737
00:36:21,438 --> 00:36:22,805
{\an1}HARDY (chuckles):
Yeah.
738
00:36:22,838 --> 00:36:24,971
What's that going to be like?
739
00:36:25,005 --> 00:36:26,171
{\an1}Yeah, yeah.
(chuckles)
740
00:36:26,205 --> 00:36:27,838
{\an7}And hopefully not
hitting each other,
741
00:36:27,871 --> 00:36:29,605
{\an7}nor falling out of the sky.
742
00:36:29,638 --> 00:36:31,105
O'BRIEN:
Exactly.
743
00:36:31,138 --> 00:36:33,638
(voiceover):
But the world that Gordon
is helping NASA create
744
00:36:33,671 --> 00:36:37,238
{\an1}is designed to work
without pilots like him.
745
00:36:37,271 --> 00:36:42,238
{\an7}Eventually, autonomous air
taxis will need to safely fly
746
00:36:42,271 --> 00:36:44,738
{\an7}to and from convenient places,
747
00:36:44,771 --> 00:36:47,071
{\an7}taking off, navigating, landing,
748
00:36:47,105 --> 00:36:50,438
{\an7}and dealing with emergencies,
all on their own.
749
00:36:50,471 --> 00:36:53,138
{\an1}It's a complex problem.
750
00:36:54,605 --> 00:36:56,505
{\an1}BRIAN:
So we should see
it bank soon...
751
00:36:56,538 --> 00:36:58,771
O'BRIEN:
In another building
not far away,
752
00:36:58,805 --> 00:37:01,905
engineers are
immersed in a 360 degree
753
00:37:01,938 --> 00:37:05,405
{\an1}virtual depiction of the city,
watching us fly.
754
00:37:05,438 --> 00:37:08,471
BRIAN:
We're tracking the
UAM 003 currently.
755
00:37:08,505 --> 00:37:10,771
That's the vertical
motion simulator.
756
00:37:10,805 --> 00:37:12,371
{\an1}All right, looks good.
757
00:37:12,405 --> 00:37:13,871
{\an1}And the speed is okay?
758
00:37:13,905 --> 00:37:18,105
O'BRIEN:
Sandy Lozito is chief of
the aviation systems division.
759
00:37:18,138 --> 00:37:19,438
LOZITO:
We have to think about
760
00:37:19,471 --> 00:37:21,005
{\an7}all of those vehicles
761
00:37:21,038 --> 00:37:22,447
{\an7}being in the air space
at the same time,
762
00:37:22,471 --> 00:37:24,338
{\an8}different
performance parameters,
763
00:37:24,371 --> 00:37:27,105
{\an7}potentially different training
for the ones that are piloted.
764
00:37:27,138 --> 00:37:30,171
{\an1}And then how do we make sure
that everything stays safe?
765
00:37:30,205 --> 00:37:32,205
O'BRIEN:
In this world,
766
00:37:32,238 --> 00:37:36,105
{\an1}the idea of a control
tower is outdated.
767
00:37:36,138 --> 00:37:40,571
LOZITO:
Looks like we've got the VMS
going up and over the bridge.
768
00:37:40,605 --> 00:37:42,671
{\an5}Yeah, that's
working perfectly.
All right.
769
00:37:42,705 --> 00:37:46,605
O'BRIEN:
Before COVID, there were
more than 45,000 flights
770
00:37:46,638 --> 00:37:50,605
{\an1}every day in the U.S.
771
00:37:50,638 --> 00:37:53,138
{\an7}It's an intricate symphony
precisely conducted
772
00:37:53,171 --> 00:37:55,071
{\an7}by air traffic controllers.
773
00:37:55,105 --> 00:37:56,705
{\an1}Are you good?
774
00:37:56,738 --> 00:37:58,971
O'BRIEN:
But if eVTOLs take off,
775
00:37:59,005 --> 00:38:01,805
there will
be a lot more players.
776
00:38:01,838 --> 00:38:04,471
LOZITO:
We do not necessarily
expect a centralized
777
00:38:04,505 --> 00:38:07,538
{\an1}air traffic control tower
to do it with individual
778
00:38:07,571 --> 00:38:09,105
{\an1}directives telling the pilots
779
00:38:09,138 --> 00:38:11,005
{\an1}how to come in and out
of the vertiport.
780
00:38:11,038 --> 00:38:13,105
And so, that's a very
different operation.
781
00:38:13,138 --> 00:38:15,047
There could be much more
independence on the part
782
00:38:15,071 --> 00:38:17,238
of the pilots and
the individual operators
783
00:38:17,271 --> 00:38:19,138
as they move in
and out of these areas.
784
00:38:19,171 --> 00:38:21,971
O'BRIEN:
Independence?
785
00:38:22,005 --> 00:38:24,638
It sounds like
a prescription for disaster.
786
00:38:24,671 --> 00:38:26,971
♪
787
00:38:27,005 --> 00:38:30,405
{\an1}But NASA has been working
on this for the past few years,
788
00:38:30,438 --> 00:38:32,671
{\an1}on smaller drones
that don't carry people.
789
00:38:32,705 --> 00:38:35,405
{\an1}The lessons learned
writing those rules
790
00:38:35,438 --> 00:38:37,438
{\an1}are offering them a foundation.
791
00:38:37,471 --> 00:38:39,805
SHARMA:
So these would be
its operations, right?
792
00:38:39,838 --> 00:38:42,338
Coming in around here
and landing here on top of this.
793
00:38:42,371 --> 00:38:47,671
O'BRIEN:
Shivanjli Sharma is an aerospace
research engineer at Ames.
794
00:38:49,805 --> 00:38:53,271
{\an1}She and her team are using
data from the simulations
795
00:38:53,305 --> 00:38:56,971
{\an1}to write the algorithms that
will allow air traffic control
796
00:38:57,005 --> 00:39:00,271
{\an1}to be digital, more automated,
797
00:39:00,305 --> 00:39:02,538
and distributed.
798
00:39:02,571 --> 00:39:05,905
{\an1}The goal would be to share
information with other operators
799
00:39:05,938 --> 00:39:09,705
{\an1}and folks like the FAA
to make sure that everybody
800
00:39:09,738 --> 00:39:13,205
{\an1}in the airspace knows where
one another really is flying.
801
00:39:13,238 --> 00:39:17,171
O'BRIEN:
In flight, an air taxi
would continuously transmit
802
00:39:17,205 --> 00:39:20,571
its location
to receivers on the ground.
803
00:39:20,605 --> 00:39:22,438
SHARMA:
As that vehicle is flying,
804
00:39:22,471 --> 00:39:24,871
{\an1}we're monitoring its position
805
00:39:24,905 --> 00:39:27,871
{\an7}in relation to that
four-dimensional volume.
806
00:39:27,905 --> 00:39:31,371
{\an7}Are they inside that volume,
are they outside of that volume?
807
00:39:31,405 --> 00:39:33,571
Are they in that
volume at the time
808
00:39:33,605 --> 00:39:35,505
{\an1}they predicted they would be?
809
00:39:35,538 --> 00:39:37,838
O'BRIEN:
There are many hurdles.
810
00:39:37,871 --> 00:39:40,438
{\an1}At low altitudes in cities,
811
00:39:40,471 --> 00:39:44,205
{\an1}GPS and cellular signals
can be unreliable.
812
00:39:44,238 --> 00:39:46,971
{\an1}And what about security?
813
00:39:47,005 --> 00:39:49,838
Transmitting all
this mission-critical,
814
00:39:49,871 --> 00:39:52,771
{\an1}life and death information
across shared cloud networks
815
00:39:52,805 --> 00:39:55,938
{\an1}offers its own set of risks.
816
00:39:55,971 --> 00:39:58,805
And there's one
other big challenge,
817
00:39:58,838 --> 00:40:01,271
this new air
traffic control scheme
818
00:40:01,305 --> 00:40:05,638
{\an1}needs to work safely
alongside the old one.
819
00:40:05,671 --> 00:40:08,105
LOZITO:
If there are tubes in the sky
820
00:40:08,138 --> 00:40:10,705
{\an1}or particular lanes of airspace
821
00:40:10,738 --> 00:40:13,171
in which these
vehicles may transport,
822
00:40:13,205 --> 00:40:15,171
{\an1}we know that at some point
they're going to be
823
00:40:15,205 --> 00:40:19,105
{\an1}near conventional aircraft,
commercial aircraft,
824
00:40:19,138 --> 00:40:21,571
{\an1}and we have to make sure
that those can work together
825
00:40:21,605 --> 00:40:23,638
{\an1}or can complement one another.
826
00:40:23,671 --> 00:40:26,705
♪
827
00:40:26,738 --> 00:40:31,071
O'BRIEN:
Flying cars may seem
distant to most of us,
828
00:40:31,105 --> 00:40:33,905
but for NASA
engineer Starr Ginn,
829
00:40:33,938 --> 00:40:36,071
{\an1}it's close to home.
830
00:40:36,105 --> 00:40:38,938
{\an1}One of the thought leaders
on electric aviation,
831
00:40:38,971 --> 00:40:41,538
she lives in
a house with a hangar,
832
00:40:41,571 --> 00:40:43,738
{\an7}right beside a runway.
833
00:40:43,771 --> 00:40:46,505
{\an8}GINN:
I feel so lucky, right,
I get to live in a Sky Park
834
00:40:46,538 --> 00:40:48,571
{\an7}and can get in my airplane
and go wherever I want.
835
00:40:48,605 --> 00:40:50,314
{\an1}This whole time in my mind,
I've been thinking,
836
00:40:50,338 --> 00:40:52,281
{\an1}"I want everybody to be
able to have what I have."
837
00:40:52,305 --> 00:40:55,771
O'BRIEN:
On this Sunday morning,
she and her husband Tony,
838
00:40:55,805 --> 00:40:57,205
{\an1}also a NASA engineer,
839
00:40:57,238 --> 00:41:01,905
{\an1}decided to air out
their Thorp T-18.
840
00:41:01,938 --> 00:41:04,705
♪
841
00:41:04,738 --> 00:41:07,505
A speedy little
homebuilt airplane.
842
00:41:07,538 --> 00:41:11,671
♪
843
00:41:15,338 --> 00:41:17,338
{\an1}How low can you go?
844
00:41:17,371 --> 00:41:19,605
{\an1}There's two hundred, 2-0-3.
845
00:41:19,638 --> 00:41:21,138
{\an1}Can you go lower?
846
00:41:21,171 --> 00:41:24,438
♪
847
00:41:27,405 --> 00:41:29,605
STARR:
Whoo-hoo! (laughs)
848
00:41:29,638 --> 00:41:31,871
TONY:
Too much fun.
849
00:41:31,905 --> 00:41:34,038
{\an1}That's the best feeling.
Yeah.
850
00:41:34,071 --> 00:41:36,205
O'BRIEN:
Fast as the Thorp is,
851
00:41:36,238 --> 00:41:38,705
{\an1}she knows it could do better.
852
00:41:38,738 --> 00:41:43,705
{\an1}The wing is not optimized
for speed, deliberately.
853
00:41:43,738 --> 00:41:46,638
{\an7}Typically, a general
aviation airplane's wing's
854
00:41:46,671 --> 00:41:49,571
{\an7}designed for stall,
low-speed performance.
855
00:41:49,605 --> 00:41:53,238
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
The faster air
moves over a wing,
856
00:41:53,271 --> 00:41:55,471
{\an7}the more lift it provides.
857
00:41:55,505 --> 00:41:58,338
{\an8}And the greater
the surface area of a wing,
858
00:41:58,371 --> 00:42:01,105
{\an8}the more lift it can create.
859
00:42:01,138 --> 00:42:04,605
{\an7}So for safety's sake,
wings are made wide enough
860
00:42:04,638 --> 00:42:08,171
{\an7}to provide adequate lift
at slow speeds.
861
00:42:08,205 --> 00:42:11,771
{\an7}But once an airplane levels
off and starts flying faster,
862
00:42:11,805 --> 00:42:16,171
{\an7}the added lift from that
fat wing is no longer needed.
863
00:42:16,205 --> 00:42:19,905
{\an7}In fact it's a drag... literally.
864
00:42:19,938 --> 00:42:25,171
{\an7}The extra surface area makes
the airplane less efficient.
865
00:42:25,205 --> 00:42:28,238
{\an7}Making a wing narrower
would reduce drag,
866
00:42:28,271 --> 00:42:32,305
{\an7}but at slower airspeeds
would not create enough lift.
867
00:42:32,338 --> 00:42:36,605
{\an7}Electric motors offer
a solution to this dilemma.
868
00:42:36,638 --> 00:42:39,271
{\an7}They are so lightweight
that they can be placed
869
00:42:39,305 --> 00:42:41,638
{\an7}all across that narrow wing.
870
00:42:41,671 --> 00:42:44,771
{\an7}Even at slower speeds,
the extra airflow
871
00:42:44,805 --> 00:42:47,471
{\an7}from these motors adds lift.
872
00:42:47,505 --> 00:42:49,505
{\an8}In a way,
they're tricking the wing
873
00:42:49,538 --> 00:42:52,805
{\an8}into thinking
it's flying faster.
874
00:42:52,838 --> 00:42:54,805
{\an8}GINN:
You're blowing air
875
00:42:54,838 --> 00:42:56,171
over those wings
876
00:42:56,205 --> 00:42:58,505
{\an1}as if they think they're up
in the air just cruising
877
00:42:58,538 --> 00:43:00,638
in your normal speed of flight.
878
00:43:00,671 --> 00:43:03,038
O'BRIEN:
To test out the idea,
879
00:43:03,071 --> 00:43:05,505
{\an1}she teamed up with
fellow NASA engineer
880
00:43:05,538 --> 00:43:08,105
{\an1}and Puffin creator, Mark Moore.
881
00:43:08,138 --> 00:43:11,505
GINN:
It was a very small
contingency around
882
00:43:11,538 --> 00:43:12,771
{\an1}the NASA aeronautics centers
883
00:43:12,805 --> 00:43:14,471
that were this
different group of...
884
00:43:14,505 --> 00:43:16,138
{\an1}I don't know, rebels.
885
00:43:16,171 --> 00:43:19,938
O'BRIEN:
They attached 18 electric
motors, made by Joby,
886
00:43:19,971 --> 00:43:23,438
{\an1}to a slender wing and mounted
it high above a truck
887
00:43:23,471 --> 00:43:27,071
{\an1}to avoid interactions with
the vehicle and the ground.
888
00:43:27,105 --> 00:43:29,705
MOORE:
It looked like a Mad Max truck
889
00:43:29,738 --> 00:43:32,838
{\an1}with a big distributed
electric propulsion wing
890
00:43:32,871 --> 00:43:34,081
{\an1}that we drove across the desert
891
00:43:34,105 --> 00:43:35,681
{\an1}because we couldn't
afford a wind tunnel.
892
00:43:35,705 --> 00:43:39,138
GINN:
It wasn't any, you know,
spectacular kind of thing,
893
00:43:39,171 --> 00:43:41,038
but it got us
the information we wanted.
894
00:43:41,071 --> 00:43:42,847
{\an1}At the same time,
Mark and I were getting ready
895
00:43:42,871 --> 00:43:44,705
{\an1}for a pitch to say,
like, we should really,
896
00:43:44,738 --> 00:43:46,305
{\an1}like, put this on an airplane.
897
00:43:46,338 --> 00:43:50,005
{\an1}They convinced NASA brass
to create the first
898
00:43:50,038 --> 00:43:52,738
{\an1}piloted experimental,
or X, plane
899
00:43:52,771 --> 00:43:54,638
{\an1}in more than 20 years.
900
00:43:54,671 --> 00:43:57,905
{\an1}It's the X-57 Maxwell.
901
00:43:57,938 --> 00:44:01,805
It will have 14
Joby electric motors
902
00:44:01,838 --> 00:44:03,438
{\an1}that will test the advantages
903
00:44:03,471 --> 00:44:05,971
of distributed
electric propulsion.
904
00:44:06,005 --> 00:44:08,838
MOORE:
You're not dependent on
a single motor or controller,
905
00:44:08,871 --> 00:44:12,538
{\an1}but you distribute that
power across the airframe
906
00:44:12,571 --> 00:44:15,771
{\an1}so that if any one breaks,
the vehicle can still fly.
907
00:44:15,805 --> 00:44:20,971
O'BRIEN:
Sean Clarke is now the engineer
in charge of the program.
908
00:44:21,005 --> 00:44:23,971
{\an7}Putting 14 motors on an airplane
is not obviously a good idea,
909
00:44:24,005 --> 00:44:26,338
{\an7}but we want to take
the time to find out,
910
00:44:26,371 --> 00:44:28,071
{\an1}is it reasonable to build
911
00:44:28,105 --> 00:44:31,071
{\an1}an aircraft around
that configuration?
912
00:44:31,105 --> 00:44:34,138
O'BRIEN:
Maxwell is a modification
of an existing
913
00:44:34,171 --> 00:44:36,171
{\an1}piston engine aircraft.
914
00:44:36,205 --> 00:44:39,871
{\an1}The new wing is only
40 percent of the width
915
00:44:39,905 --> 00:44:42,771
{\an1}of the slow speed wing
it replaces,
916
00:44:42,805 --> 00:44:46,005
{\an7}a huge reduction in drag.
917
00:44:46,038 --> 00:44:50,738
{\an7}It will take off with
all 14 motors running.
918
00:44:50,771 --> 00:44:52,905
{\an7}Once leveled off,
the 12 smaller motors
919
00:44:52,938 --> 00:44:55,305
{\an7}will be shut down
to conserve batteries,
920
00:44:55,338 --> 00:44:57,938
{\an7}the props folded back.
921
00:44:57,971 --> 00:45:00,405
{\an1}It's a challenging conversion.
922
00:45:00,438 --> 00:45:03,205
{\an1}The wiring required
for all those motors,
923
00:45:03,238 --> 00:45:06,005
{\an1}their electronics,
and the instrumentation
924
00:45:06,038 --> 00:45:08,505
has to fit in
a very tight space.
925
00:45:08,538 --> 00:45:10,214
{\an5}And it's on
the inside edge, too.
It's on the inside edge.
926
00:45:10,238 --> 00:45:12,171
That's going to be
a little bit tricky.
927
00:45:12,205 --> 00:45:13,714
{\an1}Yes, and then we're
also concerned a little bit
928
00:45:13,738 --> 00:45:16,071
{\an1}about the edge right
where it comes out.
Oh, okay.
929
00:45:16,105 --> 00:45:18,605
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
But the Maxwell team has faced
930
00:45:18,638 --> 00:45:21,305
{\an7}even more daunting
challenges than this.
931
00:45:21,338 --> 00:45:24,371
{\an7}In 2016, they ran a test
932
00:45:24,405 --> 00:45:26,571
{\an1}on the lithium ion batteries.
933
00:45:26,605 --> 00:45:29,705
{\an1}They stressed them to see
how safe they might be
934
00:45:29,738 --> 00:45:32,105
{\an1}if they failed in flight.
935
00:45:32,138 --> 00:45:34,438
CLARKE:
What we found
is when one cell fails,
936
00:45:34,471 --> 00:45:36,938
{\an1}it makes the next cell over
get really hot and it fails,
937
00:45:36,971 --> 00:45:39,405
{\an1}and then the next one fails,
and you have a chain reaction
938
00:45:39,438 --> 00:45:42,505
{\an1}through all 5,000 cells
on the airplane, potentially.
939
00:45:44,105 --> 00:45:47,071
O'BRIEN:
So they reached out
to NASA experts who designed
940
00:45:47,105 --> 00:45:50,271
{\an1}the batteries used
by astronauts in space.
941
00:45:51,438 --> 00:45:54,638
{\an1}The collaboration
led to a much safer
942
00:45:54,671 --> 00:45:56,738
{\an1}battery pack for Maxwell.
943
00:45:56,771 --> 00:45:59,271
{\an7}They hope to fly it in 2021.
944
00:45:59,305 --> 00:46:02,538
{\an8}CLARKE:
I'm really interested in these
technologies finding their way
945
00:46:02,571 --> 00:46:04,938
{\an1}onto passenger aircraft,
to transport class aircraft
946
00:46:04,971 --> 00:46:07,038
{\an1}someday, but we need
to work up to that.
947
00:46:07,071 --> 00:46:09,471
{\an1}This is the next step up;
we want to be able to put
948
00:46:09,505 --> 00:46:12,038
{\an1}a pilot onboard and have
our pilot understand
949
00:46:12,071 --> 00:46:14,705
{\an1}and feel the response
of the propulsion system
950
00:46:14,738 --> 00:46:17,605
{\an1}and start working toward
that transport class dream.
951
00:46:17,638 --> 00:46:20,838
{\an8}O'BRIEN:
The transport class dream,
952
00:46:20,871 --> 00:46:23,971
{\an7}carrying hundreds of passengers
and tons of cargo,
953
00:46:24,005 --> 00:46:27,738
{\an8}hinges on range,
speed, and payload.
954
00:46:29,605 --> 00:46:33,671
{\an1}For now, batteries
come up short on all fronts.
955
00:46:33,705 --> 00:46:35,705
{\an1}And while they are
getting steadily better,
956
00:46:35,738 --> 00:46:37,438
{\an1}about five percent a year,
957
00:46:37,471 --> 00:46:40,971
{\an1}the gap is so wide it will
take at least a decade
958
00:46:41,005 --> 00:46:43,771
{\an1}for them to catch up, if ever.
959
00:46:45,471 --> 00:46:49,105
Is there a way
to decarbonize aviation sooner?
960
00:46:52,338 --> 00:46:54,805
{\an1}In Stuttgart, Germany,
electrical engineer
961
00:46:54,838 --> 00:46:59,805
{\an1}Josef Kallo is working
with a company called H2Fly.
962
00:46:59,838 --> 00:47:03,105
{\an1}They're making airplanes
that run on hydrogen.
963
00:47:03,138 --> 00:47:04,771
KALLO:
At the moment,
964
00:47:04,805 --> 00:47:06,138
{\an7}the most promising technology
965
00:47:06,171 --> 00:47:09,205
{\an7}emission-free is to have
fuel cells with hydrogen.
966
00:47:09,238 --> 00:47:11,871
O'BRIEN:
Fuel cells generate electricity
967
00:47:11,905 --> 00:47:14,171
through an
electrochemical reaction.
968
00:47:14,205 --> 00:47:19,171
{\an1}Hydrogen reacts with incoming
oxygen to generate electricity.
969
00:47:19,205 --> 00:47:21,605
{\an1}That current powers
electric motors.
970
00:47:21,638 --> 00:47:24,071
{\an1}The byproduct is water.
971
00:47:24,105 --> 00:47:27,471
{\an1}Hydrogen has three times
more energy density
972
00:47:27,505 --> 00:47:31,171
{\an1}than jet fuel and is
the lightest molecule of all.
973
00:47:31,205 --> 00:47:34,071
{\an1}But at atmospheric
temperature and pressure,
974
00:47:34,105 --> 00:47:37,671
{\an1}it's a gas, so it takes up
a lot of volume.
975
00:47:37,705 --> 00:47:40,538
{\an1}And the energy can't
flow out of the cell
976
00:47:40,571 --> 00:47:44,205
{\an7}as fast as it can from a fossil
fuel engine or a battery,
977
00:47:44,238 --> 00:47:47,571
{\an7}so there's less power
available for takeoff.
978
00:47:47,605 --> 00:47:52,338
{\an1}But it offers much more range.
979
00:47:52,371 --> 00:47:56,971
KALLO:
With the technology,
using a fuel cell with hydrogen,
980
00:47:57,005 --> 00:48:01,371
{\an1}from today's perspective,
we can say that we can go
981
00:48:01,405 --> 00:48:04,871
{\an1}six times to eight times
longer in range.
982
00:48:04,905 --> 00:48:07,338
♪
983
00:48:07,371 --> 00:48:11,338
O'BRIEN:
Kallo and his team have
been at it for 13 years.
984
00:48:11,371 --> 00:48:14,238
{\an1}This is his sixth
generation aircraft.
985
00:48:14,271 --> 00:48:19,105
{\an1}It has batteries to provide
enough power for takeoff.
986
00:48:20,671 --> 00:48:22,971
{\an1}In November of 2020, Kallo says
987
00:48:23,005 --> 00:48:25,371
{\an1}they test flew it
more than 30 times,
988
00:48:25,405 --> 00:48:28,505
{\an1}validating a range
of nearly 500 miles.
989
00:48:28,538 --> 00:48:32,271
KALLO:
This will prepare
the way forward
990
00:48:32,305 --> 00:48:35,738
to have much, much longer-range
991
00:48:35,771 --> 00:48:39,305
{\an1}hydrogen fuel cell,
electric propulsion,
992
00:48:39,338 --> 00:48:41,605
{\an1}and then in that step,
993
00:48:41,638 --> 00:48:43,871
{\an1}we will have very
efficient planes,
994
00:48:43,905 --> 00:48:46,705
a very efficient
electric propulsion,
995
00:48:46,738 --> 00:48:49,571
{\an1}and also a very long range.
996
00:48:49,605 --> 00:48:53,271
So I would say,
from an economic point of view,
997
00:48:53,305 --> 00:48:55,638
{\an1}80 to 100-seater with a range
998
00:48:55,671 --> 00:48:58,105
{\an1}of 3,500 kilometer is feasible.
999
00:48:58,138 --> 00:49:01,571
O'BRIEN:
Almost half of all
emissions from aviation
1000
00:49:01,605 --> 00:49:05,038
{\an1}come from flights of less
than 2,000 kilometers,
1001
00:49:05,071 --> 00:49:07,438
or 1,200 miles.
1002
00:49:07,471 --> 00:49:10,571
{\an7}Hydrogen could make a big dent.
1003
00:49:10,605 --> 00:49:14,905
{\an8}KALLO:
We are definitely
in a revolution in the aviation.
1004
00:49:14,938 --> 00:49:18,605
{\an1}This is very exciting,
very interesting times.
1005
00:49:18,638 --> 00:49:22,271
♪
1006
00:49:23,471 --> 00:49:26,438
O'BRIEN:
They are times
that demand action
1007
00:49:26,471 --> 00:49:29,905
to address
the climate emergency.
1008
00:49:29,938 --> 00:49:33,771
{\an1}But this solution does
not rely solely on altruism.
1009
00:49:33,805 --> 00:49:37,571
{\an1}Electric aviation can
rise on its own merits...
1010
00:49:37,605 --> 00:49:42,671
{\an1}because there is green
in flying green.
1011
00:49:42,705 --> 00:49:44,905
NZEUKOU:
Air travel will
be more affordable,
1012
00:49:44,938 --> 00:49:47,638
{\an1}it will come from
a ton more places.
1013
00:49:47,671 --> 00:49:49,705
{\an7}Electric aviation opens
up the number of airports
1014
00:49:49,738 --> 00:49:51,814
{\an7}that we can actually operate
commercial service out of.
1015
00:49:51,838 --> 00:49:55,171
{\an8}GINN:
We know all the pieces
that have to be put in place.
1016
00:49:55,205 --> 00:49:57,738
{\an7}It's just, how long does it take
1017
00:49:57,771 --> 00:49:59,905
{\an7}to prove the reliability
of that piece,
1018
00:49:59,938 --> 00:50:03,438
{\an7}and then prove each of those
pieces' reliability in a system.
1019
00:50:03,471 --> 00:50:05,338
That takes time.
1020
00:50:05,371 --> 00:50:07,171
{\an1}It's going to happen.
1021
00:50:07,205 --> 00:50:10,805
O'BRIEN:
It's like Detroit
in the early 1900s,
1022
00:50:10,838 --> 00:50:12,705
{\an1}inventors racing to define
1023
00:50:12,738 --> 00:50:15,905
{\an1}what the automobile
would look like,
1024
00:50:15,938 --> 00:50:19,571
{\an1}a hothouse of innovation,
that started and stayed
1025
00:50:19,605 --> 00:50:21,805
{\an1}in garages for years,
1026
00:50:21,838 --> 00:50:25,538
{\an1}and then seemed to change
the world overnight.
1027
00:50:25,571 --> 00:50:28,871
{\an1}Those competing in the great
electric airplane race
1028
00:50:28,905 --> 00:50:33,771
{\an1}are convinced a revolutionary
moment like that is in the air.
1029
00:50:33,805 --> 00:50:37,938
♪
1030
00:50:40,438 --> 00:50:43,171
{\an1}Solar Impulse pioneer
Andre Borschberg
1031
00:50:43,205 --> 00:50:46,738
is still chasing
the dream in Switzerland.
1032
00:50:46,771 --> 00:50:50,171
{\an1}He has retrofitted
a two-seat piston aircraft
1033
00:50:50,205 --> 00:50:52,671
{\an1}with an electric motor.
1034
00:50:52,705 --> 00:50:54,238
MAN:
Runway 25 clear for takeoff.
1035
00:50:54,271 --> 00:50:57,971
BORSCHBERG:
Okay, let's go for
a nice circuit.
1036
00:50:58,005 --> 00:50:59,405
♪
1037
00:50:59,438 --> 00:51:03,638
O'BRIEN:
The company he started
is called H55.
1038
00:51:03,671 --> 00:51:06,771
BORSCHBERG:
There is only one switch when
you get into the cockpit here.
1039
00:51:06,805 --> 00:51:09,205
You know pilots,
you like to be free.
1040
00:51:09,238 --> 00:51:13,438
{\an7}Here you get free from
the need to use the fuel tank.
1041
00:51:13,471 --> 00:51:16,938
{\an1}All electric, no combustion,
1042
00:51:16,971 --> 00:51:19,105
{\an1}no CO2, no pollution.
1043
00:51:19,138 --> 00:51:21,671
{\an1}When you fly electric,
you don't want to go back
1044
00:51:21,705 --> 00:51:23,371
{\an1}to combustion engine.
1045
00:51:23,405 --> 00:51:24,938
{\an1}It's so convincing that you say,
1046
00:51:24,971 --> 00:51:27,471
{\an1}"Now, I want to continue
with this technology."
1047
00:51:27,505 --> 00:51:31,005
WEEKES:
Electric motors are
at a certain point today.
1048
00:51:31,038 --> 00:51:33,538
{\an1}The battery systems are
at a certain point today.
1049
00:51:33,571 --> 00:51:35,771
{\an1}We're within that
edge of possible where
1050
00:51:35,805 --> 00:51:38,405
{\an1}we think things will
mature a lot quicker.
1051
00:51:38,438 --> 00:51:40,871
BORSCHBERG:
You cannot do
everything in one day.
1052
00:51:40,905 --> 00:51:44,305
{\an1}But if we don't start today,
we will not be ready
1053
00:51:44,338 --> 00:51:46,705
in ten, 15 years
to be totally clean.
1054
00:51:46,738 --> 00:51:49,938
ASANTE:
It almost feels like
there's some part of the future
1055
00:51:49,971 --> 00:51:52,438
{\an1}that we think about as,
like, at some point in time,
1056
00:51:52,471 --> 00:51:55,538
{\an1}this is inevitable and now
we're all just mapping out
1057
00:51:55,571 --> 00:51:57,671
the plan to try
and to get there.
1058
00:51:57,705 --> 00:51:59,405
BORSCHBERG:
It's fantastic, eh?
1059
00:51:59,438 --> 00:52:01,971
No vibration,
1060
00:52:02,005 --> 00:52:04,805
little noise...
1061
00:52:04,838 --> 00:52:06,938
{\an1}that's the future.
1062
00:52:06,971 --> 00:52:10,371
♪
1063
00:52:32,471 --> 00:52:38,405
♪
1064
00:52:43,571 --> 00:52:47,705
{\an8}ANNOUNCER:
To order this program on DVD,
visit ShopPBS
1065
00:52:47,738 --> 00:52:50,771
{\an7}or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.
1066
00:52:50,805 --> 00:52:53,805
{\an7}Episodes of "NOVA" are available
with Passport.
1067
00:52:53,838 --> 00:52:57,338
{\an7}"NOVA" is also available on
Amazon Prime Video.
1068
00:52:57,371 --> 00:53:02,371
{\an8}♪
88422
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