RegGuheert
Well-known member
Whenever I speak with someone about the LEAF and BEVs in general, the topic of range is generally central to the discussion. To help others think about where BEVs are today relative to where they may be in the future, I typically will say something along the lines of:
Anyway, just for reference, here are a few datapoints for the Boeing 737. I have included data for the smallest version of each family of 737. This data comes from Boeing, Wikipedia, (also for MAX), and The 737 Technical Site.
At this point, I usually ask the following question:RegGuheert said:Boeing introduced the 737 twinjet at the end of 1967. The maximum loaded range of the base model was 1540 nmi. But, like the LEAF, the range of a commercial airliner varies with may factors, including altitude, temperature, wind speed, loading, etc. Also, like owners of the LEAF, operators of commercial airliners do NOT fly the planes to the maximum range calculated for the conditions because the penalty for running out of fuel is quite high. As a result, the original Boeing 737 was typically used on scheduled routes below about 1000 nmi.
Finally, I note the following:RegGuheert said:Do you fly on airplanes? If so, you may have noticed that most transcontinental flights within the U.S. are today handled by the Boeing 737 or its Airbus equivalent, the A320. Twenty years ago this was not the case. Back then, the Boeing 737 did not have the range to fly across the U.S.
Of course, the range of a jet airliner is increased in different ways than the range of a BEV, but I think it can be argued that the 737 problem is constrained in similar ways: As fuel prices increase, the customer wants BOTH better efficiency and range. The biggest difference is that the 737s range was not primarily increased by tanking more fuel, but that is what BEVs will need to do.RegGuheert said:Later this decade, Boeing will deliver their next generation of the 737, known as the 737Max. Many observers expect that this version of the Boeing 737, as well as the Airbus A320NEO, will eventually provide service across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. The point is that after fifty years of development, the usable range of the Boeing 737 has basically tripled. Based on the history of the Boeing 737, I am quite positive that BEVs like the LEAF will experience greatly improved range as time and technology march on. I suspect it will take much less than 50 years for the range of the LEAF (or its equivalent) to triple.
Anyway, just for reference, here are a few datapoints for the Boeing 737. I have included data for the smallest version of each family of 737. This data comes from Boeing, Wikipedia, (also for MAX), and The 737 Technical Site.
Code:
+-----------------------+
| Boeing 737 Range |
| Over The Years |
+-------+-------+-------+
| Model | First | Range |
| | Deliv | (nmi) |
+-------+-------+-------+
| -100 | 1967 | 1540 |
| -500 | 1989 | 2400 |
| -700 | 1997 | 3440 |
| -7Max | 2017 | 3800 |
+-------+-------+-------+