How Electric Hypercar Tech Could Bring Back Supersonic Air Travel (At Last!)
Key takeaways
- Electric motors from cars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie could fix the biggest flaw that grounded the Concorde.
- Only 66 years separated the first Wright brothers’ flight and the launch of the supersonic Concorde passenger jet.
- The supersonic Concorde’s real Achilles’ heel was the thirst of its four Rolls-Royce turbojet engines (which could reportedly guzzle 1–2 tons of fuel on the ground prior to takeoff!).
Why this matters: an automotive development that could shape industry direction or buying decisions.
Electric motors from cars like the Aston Martin Valkyrie could fix the biggest flaw that grounded the Concorde.
Only 66 years separated the first Wright brothers’ flight and the launch of the supersonic Concorde passenger jet. The engineer/optimist in me is therefore deeply disappointed air travel speeds have only slowed in the nearly quarter-century since the graceful Concorde last flew. Car lovers take pride: After decades of aerospace innovation flowing into automobiles (turbochargers, carbon fiber, aerodynamics, ceramics), the auto world is poised to reciprocate—impressively.
The supersonic Concorde’s real Achilles’ heel was the thirst of its four Rolls-Royce turbojet engines (which could reportedly guzzle 1–2 tons of fuel on the ground prior to takeoff!). This limited the plane’s range, which prevented it ever serving hyper-profitable trans-Pacific routes. How to solve this thorny problem? The way cars can do (kinda): hybridize!