Lacking a major battery breakthrough, Tecnam says its all-electric P-Volt twin-engine commuter plane is ahead of its time. The company began researching the electrification of its nine-seat P2012 Traveller several years ago but battery limitations caused it to pause the effort in June. The company said the rapid degradation of current batteries caused the halt in the program. "Only a few hundred flights would drive operators to replace the entire storage unit, with a dramatic increase in direct operating costs due to the reserves for battery replacement prices," the company said in a statement. The program will be kept alive to capitalize on "technological revolutions that no one can speculate on."
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