Airbus E-Fan 2.0 electric plane goes on display at Paris Air Show

Airbus is showing its E-Fan 2.0 electric prototype plane at the Paris Air Show next week.

Airbus E-Fan 2.0

The battery powered plane can fly for an hour and reach speeds of up to 136mph.

Spectators at the huge Paris show will see the plane fly as well as see a full-scale model of the production version.

The aircraft with a wingspan of 31ft weighs in at less than half a ton, it’s billed as ‘the future of flying’ – rechargeable lithium-ion polymer batteries power dual electric motors with a total power output of 60 kilowatts.

Filling up

The two-seater is CO2 emission-free and nearly silent in flight.

Airbus plans to construct a final assembly line for the E-Fan at Pau in south-west, the all-electric two-seater will enter service around the end of 2017 or early 2018.

Initially, flight schools are expected to be customers for the aircraft, with a larger, four-seat E-Fan 4.0 scheduled to arrive in 2019.

The 4.0 will be offered for the general aviation market and Airbus’s long-term plan is to be able to work its way to producing electric-powered regional airliners and helicopters.

The ultimate goal is a 100-seat electric aircraft, although it may be 2050 before that becomes a reality.

Airbus is investing 20 million euros (£14.73 million) in the overall design and development of the E-Fan 2.0