As industries begin to shift away from fossil fuels, Ampaire is banking on its line of hybrid-electric airplanes to revolutionize air travel. The company recently announced its historic first flight of an existing airline route in Hawaii.
Kevin Noertker, Ampaire CEO, said not only would the environment reap the biggest benefits from a reduction of emissions, but the airline industry could also soar to new heights.
"For the airlines, the biggest impact is reduced cost of operation. Airlines care about the total cost of ownership and operation for their planes. By switching to a hybrid plane, you could reduce that fuel burn by up to 50 percent," Noertker told Cheddar.
The CEO also noted that a fully electric plane would reduce emissions by more than 90 percent.
After launching in 2016 and constructing an aircraft for the last two years, paid flights for the company are on the horizon. "We're looking at about a three-year timeline before we get certification to deploy these planes in that commercial operation," Noertker said.
While the company gears up for commercial flights, it has already been conducting demonstrations under the FAA's experimental market survey, which allows passengers and potential Ampaire customers to fly.
Last month, the company became the first to ever demonstrate a hybrid-electric flight in Maui, which went from Kahului to Hana in about 20 minutes. Like other industries, Ampaire's ability to continue developing and moving forward with test flights, particularly in Hawaii, was impacted by pandemic-related restrictions.
The hybrid-electric planes, according to Noertker, while capable of long-distance flights, are optimal for relatively short-distances. Over the next five to 10 years, however, there are plans to produce an aircraft that can hold up to 20 passengers and will fly "routes between 50 and 500 miles."
"The reality is most routes that airlines like to fly are about 100 miles," Noertker said.
The U.S. has reopened its borders for fully vaccinated international visitors, ending a ban on foreign travelers that started more than a year ago. It's a welcome change for families separated by the pandemic and a sign of hope for the battered travel industry. Steve Shur, president of the The Travel Technology Association, discusses the new rules and how they could propel the travel industry into a post-pandemic boom.
Marvel's 'Eternals' blasted into theaters Friday, bringing in $71 million in its opening weekend, becoming the fourth-best debut of the year. It comes at a crucial time for the box office as theaters attempt to bring back customers after over a year of pandemic-induced lulls. Shawn Robbins, Chief Analyst with BoxofficePro.com joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the state of the U.S. box office and a return to theaters.
Virgin Orbit is introducing air-launch services to the Eastern Hemisphere for the first time in history. Sir Richard Branson's space launch company has signed an agreement with ANA Holdings, the owners of Japan's largest airline, to procure 20 flights of its LauncherOne rocket from an airport in Japan, a big boost for the aerospace industry in Asia. Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, joined Cheddar to discuss the new partnership, the future of air launch, and how small satellites can help monitor climate change impacts.
Almost 2 years into the pandemic, supply chain woes continue to wreak havoc on our everyday lives.
From groceries to chip shortages, both consumers and retailers are feeling the strain with prices only climbing as a result. Data intelligence company Morning Consult is out with its U.S. Economic Outlook for November revealing just how much of a threat these hold-ups could pose to the greater economic recovery. John Leer, Chief Economist at Morning Consult joined Cheddar's Opening Bell.
After many years and at least two presidents hoping to overhaul America's infrastructure, congress finally came to an agreement. The House passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday, receiving thirteen republican votes but failing to earn votes from the six progressive squad members. Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Economics Reporter at Insider joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the economic impact of the bill.
Virgin Galactic is reporting an increase in demand for commercial space flights after seeing a boost in ticket sales, raising the price for a seat on a shuttle to $450,000. The company said they now have 700 customers.
Walmart has joined forces with robotruck start-up Gatik to deploy driverless grocery delivery. We spoke to the CEO and co-founder of Gatik to discuss how the technology works and how autonomous vehicles will help ease supply chain issues.
At least 7 million customers have been impacted by a data breach on the investing app Robinhood. The specific information that was leaked varied by each customer, but Robinhood stated that hackers did not access social security numbers or banking information.
Paulina Likos, Investing Reporter at US News & World report, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down how the U.S. reopening its borders to foreign travelers might provide a big boost to the hard-hit travel and tourism industry.
The world hit a grim milestone on Monday, with COVID-19 cases surpassing a quarter of a billion worldwide. As cases increase, the fight to beat the virus continues as well, with a number of medical breakthroughs coming out over the last few months in the form of pills from Pfizer and Merck. Regeneron is now the latest company to join the fight, recently releasing new data on a covid antibody cocktail. Professor Peter Pitts, former FDA Associate Commissioner and the founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest breaks down the differences between the 3 treatments and why vaccines are still among the fire line of defense.
