Four years ago, electric vehicles were still a niche industry, accounting for 1.4% of total vehicle sales in the U.S., according to a report from CleanTechnica, a website covering the cleantech industry. That number, according to the report, quadrupled by 2022, and the Biden administration recently proposed new rules that would make two-thirds of passenger vehicle sales electric by 2032.Four years ago, electric vehicles were still a niche industry, accounting for 1.
So yeah, electric aircraft probably won’t soon solve the aviation industry’s emission problem. But what will? And, more importantly, why are airlines so far behind on this pressing issue?The scope of the sustainability problem Jets burn fuel — lots of it — to move people around the globe. If commercial aviation were its own country, it would rank sixth, between Germany and Japan, in terms of total emissions, according to a report from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.
That’s why many climate initiatives focus on so-called “sustainable aviation fuels,” or SAFs, to replace the fossil fuel currently used to power aircraft. But, again, the industry is way behind in transitioning to greener options. As of 2019, only about 0.1% of the fuels used were SAFs, according to a World Economic Forum report.What’s being done to improve sustainability? If you’re like me, reading all these alarming facts fills you with a vague sense of dread and, maybe, guilt.