1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,800 ♪ 2 00:00:06,233 --> 00:00:10,200 MILES O'BRIEN: The race is on to stop the climate emergency. 3 00:00:10,233 --> 00:00:12,400 BRICE NZEUKOU: We're seeing more and more people really 4 00:00:12,433 --> 00:00:14,076 paying attention to their carbon footprint. 5 00:00:14,100 --> 00:00:15,666 ♪ 6 00:00:15,700 --> 00:00:18,800 O'BRIEN: Aviation is a fast-growing offender, 7 00:00:18,833 --> 00:00:21,633 {\an1}but is it too slow to respond? 8 00:00:21,666 --> 00:00:23,300 SUSAN YING: Aviation will become 9 00:00:23,333 --> 00:00:25,333 {\an1}the final dinosaur that doesn't clean up 10 00:00:25,366 --> 00:00:27,666 {\an1}if we don't act right now. 11 00:00:27,700 --> 00:00:29,866 O'BRIEN: It's the high-hanging fruit... 12 00:00:29,900 --> 00:00:33,166 One the hardest climate challenges of all. 13 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,100 {\an1}BERTRAND PICCARD: It's extremely difficult 14 00:00:35,133 --> 00:00:36,533 {\an1}to get rid of the fuel, 15 00:00:36,566 --> 00:00:39,866 {\an1}if you want to transport tons and tons of passengers. 16 00:00:39,900 --> 00:00:41,133 ♪ 17 00:00:41,166 --> 00:00:42,933 O'BRIEN: Could rapid progress 18 00:00:42,966 --> 00:00:46,200 {\an1}in electric technology change the equation? 19 00:00:46,233 --> 00:00:49,300 TERIK WEEKES: Electric motors are at a certain point today. 20 00:00:49,333 --> 00:00:51,600 {\an1}The battery systems are at a certain point today. 21 00:00:51,633 --> 00:00:53,666 {\an1}We're within that edge of possible. 22 00:00:53,700 --> 00:00:55,633 O'BRIEN: New technology is driving 23 00:00:55,666 --> 00:00:58,333 {\an1}a global race to push that edge. 24 00:00:58,366 --> 00:01:01,000 SEBASTIAN THRUN: This might sound crazy, but we believe 25 00:01:01,033 --> 00:01:03,033 it's the future of transportation for everybody. 26 00:01:03,066 --> 00:01:04,633 ♪ 27 00:01:04,666 --> 00:01:07,566 O'BRIEN: A new era may be closer than you think. 28 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:08,876 {\an1}Are we flying the future right now? 29 00:01:08,900 --> 00:01:10,700 We absolutely are. 30 00:01:10,733 --> 00:01:12,600 O'BRIEN: "The Great Electric Airplane Race" 31 00:01:12,633 --> 00:01:14,466 {\an1}is cleared for take off... 32 00:01:14,500 --> 00:01:16,666 {\an1}right now on "NOVA." 33 00:01:16,700 --> 00:01:19,066 ♪ 34 00:01:37,333 --> 00:01:39,100 ♪ 35 00:01:39,133 --> 00:01:41,733 {\an7}All right, Wendy, this your first day flying? 36 00:01:41,766 --> 00:01:44,233 {\an8}Actually, yep, this is my first flight. 37 00:01:44,266 --> 00:01:45,842 {\an7}O'BRIEN (voiceover): A trip to the airport 38 00:01:45,866 --> 00:01:49,700 {\an7}in Watsonville, California, shrouded in mystery. 39 00:01:49,733 --> 00:01:53,600 {\an7}I've been invited here by a publicity-shy company... 40 00:01:53,633 --> 00:01:56,200 {\an7}(engine starting) 41 00:01:58,300 --> 00:02:00,900 {\an7}For a flight to an undisclosed location 42 00:02:00,933 --> 00:02:05,133 {\an7}to see a groundbreaking new flying machine. 43 00:02:05,166 --> 00:02:08,333 {\an8}Beyond that, details are sketchy. 44 00:02:10,433 --> 00:02:12,733 {\an1}Our pilot is Wendy Kraft. 45 00:02:12,766 --> 00:02:15,000 You've been flying helicopters for a long time. 46 00:02:15,033 --> 00:02:17,233 {\an1}Is this the kind of thing you'd like to share with many 47 00:02:17,266 --> 00:02:20,366 {\an1}more people, that ability to go anywhere, anytime? 48 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:21,776 Oh, absolutely, especially in this area. 49 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,133 {\an1}I mean, having grown up in Santa Cruz, 50 00:02:24,166 --> 00:02:26,733 {\an1}there wasn't really a traffic problem back in the day, 51 00:02:26,766 --> 00:02:30,100 but now, traffic is horrendous. 52 00:02:31,566 --> 00:02:34,933 {\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover): Helicopters are only for the lucky few. 53 00:02:34,966 --> 00:02:39,166 {\an1}It's about $1,000 an hour to operate this one. 54 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,100 {\an1}And, of course, they're noisy. 55 00:02:43,133 --> 00:02:45,100 {\an1}(blades whirring loudly) 56 00:02:45,133 --> 00:02:47,933 {\an1}We fly for an hour, and then... 57 00:02:49,700 --> 00:02:52,700 {\an1}Without warning, there it is, 58 00:02:52,733 --> 00:02:54,833 {\an1}sitting on a remote airstrip... 59 00:02:54,866 --> 00:02:58,400 {\an1}a successor to the helicopter. 60 00:02:58,433 --> 00:03:03,533 {\an1}An aircraft that flies without a drop of fossil fuel, 61 00:03:03,566 --> 00:03:06,833 {\an1}part of an electric revolution in flight. 62 00:03:06,866 --> 00:03:10,200 {\an1}One with the ambitious goal of democratizing 63 00:03:10,233 --> 00:03:13,200 {\an1}the rare privilege we just enjoyed. 64 00:03:13,233 --> 00:03:18,200 {\an7}And maybe, just maybe, help save the planet. 65 00:03:18,233 --> 00:03:21,566 {\an8}♪ 66 00:03:25,333 --> 00:03:29,600 {\an1}The climate emergency is here and now. 67 00:03:29,633 --> 00:03:32,700 ♪ 68 00:03:32,733 --> 00:03:35,466 {\an1}The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide 69 00:03:35,500 --> 00:03:37,766 {\an1}is at the highest level it's been 70 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,633 {\an1}in at least 800,000 years. 71 00:03:40,666 --> 00:03:43,400 ♪ 72 00:03:43,433 --> 00:03:46,266 {\an1}It's an existential crisis 73 00:03:46,300 --> 00:03:49,966 {\an1}that is prompting action. 74 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,233 {\an1}Globally, about 15% of the human carbon footprint 75 00:03:54,266 --> 00:03:56,166 {\an1}comes from transportation. 76 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,900 {\an1}We see some signs of progress... 77 00:03:58,933 --> 00:04:03,733 {\an1}electric car sales are rising as prices drop. 78 00:04:03,766 --> 00:04:05,466 {\an8}We're seeing more and more people really 79 00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:06,842 {\an8}paying attention to their carbon footprint. 80 00:04:06,866 --> 00:04:09,200 O'BRIEN: But aviation? 81 00:04:09,233 --> 00:04:11,900 {\an1}It's one of the hardest transportation problems 82 00:04:11,933 --> 00:04:13,766 to solve. 83 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:15,566 (plane roars) 84 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,033 {\an1}Yet all over the world, engineers, entrepreneurs, 85 00:04:18,066 --> 00:04:22,000 {\an1}and aviators are trying to meet the challenge. 86 00:04:22,033 --> 00:04:24,566 NZEUKOU: We believe it's going to happen sooner 87 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,433 {\an1}than most people imagine. 88 00:04:26,466 --> 00:04:28,633 {\an1}If you fly on small commuter airlines today, 89 00:04:28,666 --> 00:04:31,500 {\an1}you can expect some version of electric aircraft 90 00:04:31,533 --> 00:04:33,600 {\an1}within the next five years. 91 00:04:33,633 --> 00:04:35,666 O'BRIEN: Today it's hard to see, 92 00:04:35,700 --> 00:04:38,266 but it may just be a matter of time. 93 00:04:38,300 --> 00:04:39,733 ♪ 94 00:04:39,766 --> 00:04:42,733 {\an1}Because electric motors are so small, 95 00:04:42,766 --> 00:04:45,066 {\an1}yet powerful and responsive, 96 00:04:45,100 --> 00:04:48,733 {\an7}designers can distribute them all over an aircraft 97 00:04:48,766 --> 00:04:51,666 {\an1}and replace control surfaces like ailerons, 98 00:04:51,700 --> 00:04:53,066 {\an1}stabilizers, and rudders. 99 00:04:53,100 --> 00:04:57,766 {\an1}The motors reduce drag and are much more efficient. 100 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,766 {\an1}They are experimenting, starting small, 101 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:05,466 {\an1}creating some flying machines like never seen before. 102 00:05:05,500 --> 00:05:09,633 ♪ 103 00:05:11,633 --> 00:05:15,433 {\an7}There's even more at stake than the climate emergency. 104 00:05:15,466 --> 00:05:19,066 {\an7}Aviation has a serious pollution problem 105 00:05:19,100 --> 00:05:23,433 {\an8}that is just now coming into focus. 106 00:05:26,900 --> 00:05:29,366 {\an7}Just after dawn on a sunny, 107 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,266 {\an8}blustery October morning in Boston, 108 00:05:32,300 --> 00:05:36,566 {\an7}a pair of scientists are chartering a fishing boat. 109 00:05:39,966 --> 00:05:42,466 {\an7}So we can definitely try to get to as close 110 00:05:42,500 --> 00:05:44,166 {\an7}to the runway as possible. 111 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,076 {\an8}O'BRIEN: But environmental engineers Neelakshi Hudda 112 00:05:46,100 --> 00:05:48,233 and John Durant of Tufts University... 113 00:05:48,266 --> 00:05:50,576 {\an1}How much closer do you want to get, another hundred meters? 114 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:52,733 O'BRIEN: are casting... 115 00:05:52,766 --> 00:05:54,166 {\an1}This might be a good spot. 116 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:55,566 Might be a great spot. 117 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,466 O'BRIEN: for plumes of emissions generated 118 00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:02,100 {\an1}by aircraft heading into Logan Airport. 119 00:06:02,133 --> 00:06:05,500 {\an1}Combustion of Jet A fuel in airplane engines 120 00:06:05,533 --> 00:06:08,433 {\an1}is a bigger piece of the overall pollution pie 121 00:06:08,466 --> 00:06:11,766 {\an1}than most people recognize. 122 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:13,966 {\an7}The amount of Jet A that's consumed at Logan 123 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,000 {\an7}is about 25% of all the fuel that's consumed 124 00:06:17,033 --> 00:06:19,900 {\an7}in the city of Boston by all the cars. 125 00:06:19,933 --> 00:06:22,400 {\an1}And there are millions of people that live around 126 00:06:22,433 --> 00:06:25,033 {\an1}big, large airports that are impacted 127 00:06:25,066 --> 00:06:27,900 {\an1}by these emissions day in and day out. 128 00:06:27,933 --> 00:06:29,666 {\an1}And it's a chronic insult, 129 00:06:29,700 --> 00:06:32,333 {\an1}environmental insult, to those communities. 130 00:06:32,366 --> 00:06:35,400 O'BRIEN: They are out to answer a simple question... 131 00:06:35,433 --> 00:06:39,366 How pervasive is that chronic insult? 132 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,266 {\an1}HUDDA: Basically, we are seeing a plume downwind 133 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:43,833 {\an1}from the plane, which results in a spike 134 00:06:43,866 --> 00:06:46,033 {\an1}in the concentrations that we are measuring. 135 00:06:46,066 --> 00:06:48,933 O'BRIEN: They are measuring the quantity and the size 136 00:06:48,966 --> 00:06:53,533 {\an1}of toxic particles, the remnants of incomplete combustion. 137 00:06:53,566 --> 00:06:55,433 HUDDA: Average size: ten nanometers, 138 00:06:55,466 --> 00:06:58,333 {\an1}that's really small particles. 139 00:06:58,366 --> 00:06:59,966 {\an1}The smaller the particle is, 140 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,366 {\an1}the deeper it can penetrate into your lungs. 141 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:05,000 They have been associated with a slew 142 00:07:05,033 --> 00:07:06,500 {\an1}of cardiovascular health effects, 143 00:07:06,533 --> 00:07:08,300 respiratory health effects, 144 00:07:08,333 --> 00:07:11,000 {\an1}elevation in blood pressure, systemic inflammation, 145 00:07:11,033 --> 00:07:13,633 {\an1}and have the capacity to actually penetrate 146 00:07:13,666 --> 00:07:16,066 {\an1}the blood-brain barrier directly 147 00:07:16,100 --> 00:07:18,300 {\an1}and deposit in human brain. 148 00:07:20,533 --> 00:07:22,466 O'BRIEN: Hudda has an electric car outfitted 149 00:07:22,500 --> 00:07:24,033 {\an1}with similar equipment. 150 00:07:24,066 --> 00:07:25,666 HUDDA: So here's a size distribution... 151 00:07:25,700 --> 00:07:27,766 O'BRIEN: She drives through neighborhoods 152 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,600 {\an1}under the flight paths continuously gathering data. 153 00:07:31,633 --> 00:07:32,833 {\an1}(machinery humming) 154 00:07:32,866 --> 00:07:34,233 ♪ 155 00:07:34,266 --> 00:07:38,233 {\an1}Her pioneering work began in Los Angeles in 2012. 156 00:07:38,266 --> 00:07:40,766 {\an1}Driving a similarly equipped car, 157 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,766 {\an1}she systematically traversed the neighborhoods 158 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:45,533 {\an1}beneath the final approach paths 159 00:07:45,566 --> 00:07:48,666 to Los Angeles International Airport. 160 00:07:48,700 --> 00:07:52,233 {\an1}She was able to identify a distinct plume 161 00:07:52,266 --> 00:07:56,600 {\an1}from the airplanes that went much farther than she expected. 162 00:07:56,633 --> 00:07:59,200 HUDDA: We went 20 kilometers, 163 00:07:59,233 --> 00:08:02,000 {\an1}and I still don't think that's the end of it. 164 00:08:02,033 --> 00:08:06,400 {\an1}I just ran out of battery at that point in my car. 165 00:08:06,433 --> 00:08:10,266 {\an1}No one had suspected that they'd find a really clean signal 166 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:13,833 20 kilometers downwind of an airport. 167 00:08:13,866 --> 00:08:16,300 If you look at the top 23 airports, 168 00:08:16,333 --> 00:08:18,300 {\an1}about ten percent of the U.S. population lives 169 00:08:18,333 --> 00:08:20,666 within ten miles of those airports. 170 00:08:20,700 --> 00:08:23,166 {\an1}We all benefit from aviation, 171 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:26,766 but we all don't really pay for it equally. 172 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,166 O'BRIEN: And yet we all pay a price 173 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,500 {\an1}for aviation's impact on the climate emergency. 174 00:08:32,533 --> 00:08:35,066 {\an1}Before the pandemic, 175 00:08:35,100 --> 00:08:37,966 {\an1}aviation accounted for about three-and-a-half percent 176 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,533 of the world's climate-warming problem. 177 00:08:41,566 --> 00:08:45,633 {\an8}About two thirds of jet fuel exhaust is CO2. 178 00:08:45,666 --> 00:08:49,266 {\an1}Less than one percent are nitrogen oxides, 179 00:08:49,300 --> 00:08:51,466 {\an1}which also cause warming. 180 00:08:51,500 --> 00:08:54,266 The other third is mostly water vapor, 181 00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:59,066 {\an7}which at high altitude becomes ice crystals... contrails. 182 00:08:59,100 --> 00:09:01,700 {\an1}When the humidity is right, 183 00:09:01,733 --> 00:09:04,400 contrails spread and linger for hours, 184 00:09:04,433 --> 00:09:07,000 {\an1}creating cirrus clouds. 185 00:09:07,033 --> 00:09:10,666 {\an1}Thousands of flights creating thousands of contrail-induced 186 00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:13,233 {\an1}clouds trap a lot of heat. 187 00:09:13,266 --> 00:09:16,366 {\an1}They have about twice the impact on global warming 188 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,633 {\an1}as the CO2 from jet exhaust. 189 00:09:19,666 --> 00:09:24,233 And the problem is getting worse. 190 00:09:24,266 --> 00:09:26,866 Global aviation is growing rapidly. 191 00:09:26,900 --> 00:09:30,066 {\an1}It is predicted to double in less than 20 years. 192 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:33,600 {\an1}In stark contrast, other forms of transport 193 00:09:33,633 --> 00:09:36,500 {\an1}are investing heavily in green alternatives. 194 00:09:36,533 --> 00:09:40,666 YING: If that trend continues, then aviation is going to 195 00:09:40,700 --> 00:09:45,033 {\an1}become one of the top polluters of all industry sectors. 196 00:09:45,066 --> 00:09:47,633 {\an7}Aviation will become the final dinosaur 197 00:09:47,666 --> 00:09:50,600 {\an7}that doesn't clean up if we don't act right now. 198 00:09:51,833 --> 00:09:53,933 O'BRIEN: It is a weighty issue. 199 00:09:53,966 --> 00:09:56,900 Specifically, the weight of jet fuel. 200 00:09:56,933 --> 00:10:01,866 {\an7}A Boeing 737 can hold more than 40,000 pounds of it. 201 00:10:01,900 --> 00:10:04,333 {\an7}Sounds like a lot. 202 00:10:04,366 --> 00:10:07,533 {\an7}But to replace the jet engines with electric motors, 203 00:10:07,566 --> 00:10:10,200 {\an8}you would need 30 times the weight, 204 00:10:10,233 --> 00:10:12,666 {\an7}or about 1.2 million pounds 205 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:15,833 {\an7}of batteries to get comparable range. 206 00:10:15,866 --> 00:10:19,233 {\an8}♪ 207 00:10:20,666 --> 00:10:23,166 {\an1}Solving that engineering challenge will be daunting, 208 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:27,066 {\an1}but the first baby steps have already been taken. 209 00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:31,100 In 2003, Bertrand Piccard co-founded 210 00:10:31,133 --> 00:10:34,566 {\an1}the Solar Impulse project in Switzerland. 211 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,633 {\an1}The goal: to design and build 212 00:10:37,666 --> 00:10:41,700 {\an1}a solar electric aircraft that could fly around the world. 213 00:10:41,733 --> 00:10:44,633 PICCARD: For Solar Impulse, we had to make a very, 214 00:10:44,666 --> 00:10:46,866 {\an1}very light airplane... 215 00:10:46,900 --> 00:10:49,366 {\an7}the weight of a car... We're flying at the speed 216 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,100 {\an7}of a moped and transporting one 217 00:10:52,133 --> 00:10:53,600 {\an1}pilot and zero passengers, 218 00:10:53,633 --> 00:10:57,600 {\an1}and like this, we could fly solar with electric engines. 219 00:10:57,633 --> 00:10:59,633 MAN (on radio): And we lift off... 220 00:10:59,666 --> 00:11:02,633 O'BRIEN: His partner in the audacious endeavor 221 00:11:02,666 --> 00:11:04,500 {\an1}was Andre Borschberg. 222 00:11:04,533 --> 00:11:07,966 BORSCHBERG: I had faith in the possibility to do it 223 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,700 {\an1}but of course I didn't know how. 224 00:11:10,733 --> 00:11:12,533 {\an7}Could we collect enough energy? 225 00:11:12,566 --> 00:11:15,800 {\an7}And could we use so little 226 00:11:15,833 --> 00:11:19,666 {\an1}that it would make the flight through the night possible? 227 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:23,500 O'BRIEN: In the end, it took 16 months, 228 00:11:23,533 --> 00:11:25,900 but they did circumnavigate the planet. 229 00:11:25,933 --> 00:11:28,200 (applause) 230 00:11:28,233 --> 00:11:29,700 We made it! 231 00:11:29,733 --> 00:11:32,566 PICCARD: What I wanted to do was to show that 232 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:36,266 {\an1}electric aviation had also a future, 233 00:11:36,300 --> 00:11:39,700 {\an1}and that the technologies already exist. 234 00:11:39,733 --> 00:11:42,233 {\an1}It's not something that we can do it in a hundred years. 235 00:11:42,266 --> 00:11:44,800 {\an1}We can do it now, and actually we did it. 236 00:11:44,833 --> 00:11:48,166 {\an1}Today, all the people who say, 237 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:50,500 "Clean aviation is impossible," 238 00:11:50,533 --> 00:11:53,366 {\an1}will look as stupid as the one who said 239 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,533 {\an1}to the Wright Brothers, "Your airplane will never fly." 240 00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:05,000 O'BRIEN: Chandler Airport in Fresno, California, 241 00:12:05,033 --> 00:12:08,766 {\an1}has been in operation since the Wright Brothers era... 242 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,200 Aviation 1.0. 243 00:12:12,233 --> 00:12:16,000 {\an1}Today the Art Deco glory has faded... 244 00:12:17,366 --> 00:12:21,433 {\an1}but Joseph Oldham is using this old, underutilized place 245 00:12:21,466 --> 00:12:24,733 to help launch a new age of flight... 246 00:12:24,766 --> 00:12:26,800 Aviation 3.0. 247 00:12:26,833 --> 00:12:29,166 OLDHAM: This is the third revolution of aviation. 248 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,600 {\an7}The first revolution, of course, was powered flight. 249 00:12:31,633 --> 00:12:33,700 {\an7}Second revolution was jets 250 00:12:33,733 --> 00:12:36,333 {\an7}in the 1940s, early 1950s. 251 00:12:36,366 --> 00:12:39,700 {\an1}Electric propulsion is the third revolution. 252 00:12:39,733 --> 00:12:43,033 O'BRIEN: These are Pipistrel Alpha Electros, 253 00:12:43,066 --> 00:12:44,900 {\an1}the first certified, 254 00:12:44,933 --> 00:12:47,833 {\an1}all-electric airplanes in the world. 255 00:12:47,866 --> 00:12:50,833 {\an1}He has four of them in his hangar. 256 00:12:50,866 --> 00:12:53,100 {\an1}And he was gracious enough 257 00:12:53,133 --> 00:12:56,000 to give a fellow pilot the right seat. 258 00:12:56,033 --> 00:12:57,900 {\an1}All right, we're in. 259 00:12:57,933 --> 00:13:01,400 Contact, huh? OLDHAM: Clear. 260 00:13:01,433 --> 00:13:04,033 (propeller hums) Huh, that's amazing. 261 00:13:04,066 --> 00:13:06,500 {\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover): It was as simple as flipping a switch. 262 00:13:06,533 --> 00:13:08,266 That's it? That's it. 263 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:13,400 O'BRIEN: It was weirdly quiet as we taxied to the runway. 264 00:13:13,433 --> 00:13:16,200 OLDHAM: The noisiest thing on this airplane are the brakes. 265 00:13:16,233 --> 00:13:17,933 O'BRIEN: And watch what happened 266 00:13:17,966 --> 00:13:20,133 when we stopped to wait for traffic. 267 00:13:20,166 --> 00:13:23,233 OLDHAM: You just sit here, just like an electric car. 268 00:13:23,266 --> 00:13:25,200 O'BRIEN (laughing): This just cracks me up. 269 00:13:25,233 --> 00:13:28,300 Yeah, anytime anybody goes in this airplane 270 00:13:28,333 --> 00:13:30,433 that's used to a conventional aircraft, 271 00:13:30,466 --> 00:13:33,266 that's what gets them. 272 00:13:36,666 --> 00:13:39,176 {\an1}CALDWELL (on radio): Four Alpha Romeo, you can go ahead and roll. 273 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,666 {\an1}OLDHAM (on radio): Four Alpha Romeo rolling. 274 00:13:42,700 --> 00:13:45,733 ♪ 275 00:13:50,533 --> 00:13:53,933 {\an1}It's interesting, it doesn't vibrate in the same way. 276 00:13:53,966 --> 00:13:57,066 {\an1}OLDHAM: Yeah, it's just very comfortable and very relaxing. 277 00:13:57,100 --> 00:14:00,000 {\an1}Electric propulsion systems are so simple 278 00:14:00,033 --> 00:14:02,433 {\an1}that really there's just nothing 279 00:14:02,466 --> 00:14:06,366 {\an1}that you really need to be that concerned about. 280 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:08,400 {\an1}Are we flying the future right now? 281 00:14:08,433 --> 00:14:10,566 We absolutely are. 282 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:12,233 {\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover): It was a hazy day, 283 00:14:12,266 --> 00:14:14,733 {\an1}the result of some raging wildfires nearby, 284 00:14:14,766 --> 00:14:18,166 {\an1}a reminder of the climate emergency which makes 285 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:22,100 {\an1}the decarbonization of aviation so urgent. 286 00:14:22,133 --> 00:14:24,900 How important do you think that is to think about 287 00:14:24,933 --> 00:14:29,166 {\an1}taking fossil fuels out of aviation over the long run? 288 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,300 Well, it's huge, it's the only mode 289 00:14:31,333 --> 00:14:35,066 {\an1}of transportation that really has not moved 290 00:14:35,100 --> 00:14:37,533 aggressively towards zero emission. 291 00:14:37,566 --> 00:14:40,300 O'BRIEN: He got the money to purchase the planes 292 00:14:40,333 --> 00:14:43,166 by applying for a grant from Fresno County 293 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:48,033 {\an1}to demonstrate advanced transportation technology. 294 00:14:48,066 --> 00:14:51,000 {\an1}He believes the planes, along with charging stations 295 00:14:51,033 --> 00:14:54,200 {\an1}at airports within range, will do just that. 296 00:14:54,233 --> 00:14:56,966 OLDHAM: Well, we're heading into land right now so... 297 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:58,176 {\an1}You mind if I take it for a minute? 298 00:14:58,200 --> 00:14:59,333 No, go ahead. 299 00:14:59,366 --> 00:15:00,466 {\an1}All right, good, thanks. 300 00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:01,633 {\an1}All right, let's do it. 301 00:15:02,533 --> 00:15:05,300 {\an1}Keep the ball centered. Yep. 302 00:15:05,333 --> 00:15:07,633 OLDHAM: There you go. 303 00:15:07,666 --> 00:15:09,933 O'BRIEN: Ah, it's so smooth. 304 00:15:09,966 --> 00:15:12,566 (voiceover): The range and endurance are still pretty limited 305 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:14,200 {\an1}by the batteries, 306 00:15:14,233 --> 00:15:16,766 {\an8}so I didn't get much stick time, 307 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:18,800 {\an7}but it felt like a magic carpet. 308 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:23,733 {\an8}OLDHAM: Electric propulsion opens up new opportunities 309 00:15:23,766 --> 00:15:28,066 {\an1}for use of almost 5,000 general-purpose airports 310 00:15:28,100 --> 00:15:31,966 {\an1}in the United States that are mostly underutilized. 311 00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:37,400 {\an1}Nice work. Thank you. 312 00:15:37,433 --> 00:15:39,466 ♪ 313 00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:41,076 O'BRIEN: The company that makes this airplane 314 00:15:41,100 --> 00:15:42,600 {\an1}is based in Slovenia. 315 00:15:42,633 --> 00:15:47,200 {\an1}Pipistrel is a pioneer of electric aviation. 316 00:15:47,233 --> 00:15:50,633 {\an1}Founder Ivo Boscarol started tinkering with 317 00:15:50,666 --> 00:15:53,200 {\an1}ultralight trikes in the 1980s. 318 00:15:53,233 --> 00:15:56,600 He designed these electric planes 319 00:15:56,633 --> 00:15:59,300 {\an1}to be flight trainers for new pilots. 320 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:04,933 {\an1}And Joseph Oldham also has that on his mind as well. 321 00:16:04,966 --> 00:16:07,233 {\an1}He is waiting for FAA approval 322 00:16:07,266 --> 00:16:10,000 {\an1}to start a flight school with these planes. 323 00:16:10,033 --> 00:16:13,766 {\an1}And he thinks reduced maintenance and no fuel costs 324 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:18,366 {\an1}create an opportunity to bring more diversity into aviation. 325 00:16:19,533 --> 00:16:24,400 While we spoke, instructor Chris Caldwell 326 00:16:24,433 --> 00:16:27,000 {\an7}was giving student pilot Michael Murphy 327 00:16:27,033 --> 00:16:31,166 {\an7}a lesson in a conventional piston-powered airplane. 328 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,366 {\an1}Take that nose down just a little bit. 329 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,200 {\an1}There you go, doesn't take much. Yeah. 330 00:16:38,433 --> 00:16:40,466 CALDWELL: Hey, you wanna try a no-flap landing? 331 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:41,842 {\an5}Yeah, let's do a no-flap landing. Okay. 332 00:16:41,866 --> 00:16:43,433 {\an5}Let's see how different that is. Yeah. 333 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,533 ♪ 334 00:16:46,566 --> 00:16:48,100 {\an1}(plane engine roaring) 335 00:16:48,133 --> 00:16:49,209 {\an1}O'BRIEN (laughing): They are having fun. 336 00:16:49,233 --> 00:16:50,866 {\an1}They're having too much fun. 337 00:16:53,966 --> 00:16:55,866 That wasn't bad at all. 338 00:16:55,900 --> 00:16:57,300 {\an1}That was good, man. 339 00:16:57,333 --> 00:16:59,900 O'BRIEN: Mike is a mentee of Joseph Oldham's. 340 00:16:59,933 --> 00:17:03,733 {\an1}He aims to fly for the airlines one day. 341 00:17:03,766 --> 00:17:07,433 {\an1}He hopes to be part of the first generation of pilots 342 00:17:07,466 --> 00:17:09,900 {\an1}to begin their training in state-of-the-art 343 00:17:09,933 --> 00:17:12,200 {\an1}electric airplanes, 344 00:17:12,233 --> 00:17:16,833 {\an1}not 50-year-old relics that burn leaded gasoline. 345 00:17:16,866 --> 00:17:18,966 {\an1}Do you think electric airplanes are going to be 346 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,866 {\an1}a game changer for making aviation accessible 347 00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:24,033 {\an1}to a broader spectrum of people? 348 00:17:24,066 --> 00:17:25,400 {\an1}Definitely, definitely. 349 00:17:25,433 --> 00:17:27,700 {\an1}Well, you're paying 200 bucks, you know, an hour 350 00:17:27,733 --> 00:17:30,366 {\an1}to fly one of these little old 1960 airplanes, 351 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:31,800 {\an1}you know what I mean? 352 00:17:31,833 --> 00:17:33,776 {\an7}So, definitely, I think it does open up more doors 353 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:36,366 {\an7}for people to get their foot into aviation, at least, 354 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:38,300 {\an7}just kind of start off, you know, 355 00:17:38,333 --> 00:17:40,700 {\an8}by flying these little airplanes. 356 00:17:40,733 --> 00:17:43,766 {\an1}What we're looking at is solving a pilot shortage 357 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:47,600 {\an1}and then also opening the door for more people of color, 358 00:17:47,633 --> 00:17:49,900 more people from different backgrounds, 359 00:17:49,933 --> 00:17:52,733 {\an1}ethnicities, nationalities, 360 00:17:52,766 --> 00:17:55,133 and that's an international issue. 361 00:17:55,166 --> 00:17:58,000 O'BRIEN: Two seats and only an hour of flight 362 00:17:58,033 --> 00:17:59,800 {\an1}before the battery runs out, 363 00:17:59,833 --> 00:18:02,733 {\an1}the Alpha Electro is a case in point 364 00:18:02,766 --> 00:18:06,366 of the infancy of all-electric aviation. 365 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:09,133 {\an1}It is a long way from this... 366 00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:13,833 {\an1}to that, a long-haul jet airliner. 367 00:18:13,866 --> 00:18:17,466 ♪ 368 00:18:17,500 --> 00:18:19,600 {\an1}The flight path between the two 369 00:18:19,633 --> 00:18:21,933 {\an1}may be wending its way 370 00:18:21,966 --> 00:18:25,733 {\an1}through this small hangar in Camarillo, California. 371 00:18:25,766 --> 00:18:29,633 {\an1}Here, a small start-up company called Ampaire 372 00:18:29,666 --> 00:18:35,366 {\an1}has modified a 1974 Cessna 337 Skymaster. 373 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:39,100 A twin engine... One pushes, one pulls. 374 00:18:40,933 --> 00:18:43,366 They replaced the forward piston engine 375 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,066 {\an1}with an electric motor 376 00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:48,400 {\an1}and added a 600 pound battery pack to the belly. 377 00:18:48,433 --> 00:18:51,400 {\an1}It's a hybrid they call the EEL. 378 00:18:51,433 --> 00:18:53,500 ♪ 379 00:18:53,533 --> 00:18:55,433 I think we really need to focus on 380 00:18:55,466 --> 00:18:57,666 dialing in the propulsion system first. 381 00:18:57,700 --> 00:18:59,933 O'BRIEN: Brice Nzeukou is the director 382 00:18:59,966 --> 00:19:02,933 of business and product development. 383 00:19:02,966 --> 00:19:05,666 {\an7}We strongly believe in a fully electric future, 384 00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:07,933 {\an7}but we're waiting for regulations to develop, 385 00:19:07,966 --> 00:19:09,766 {\an8}for technology to develop, as well, 386 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:12,400 {\an1}before we will see full electrification. 387 00:19:12,433 --> 00:19:15,066 {\an1}Hybrid is the way to enter the market. 388 00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:19,033 O'BRIEN: They have flown dozens of test flights. 389 00:19:19,066 --> 00:19:22,433 {\an1}The electric motor does most of its work on take off 390 00:19:22,466 --> 00:19:25,033 {\an1}and the climb to altitude. 391 00:19:25,066 --> 00:19:26,733 {\an1}And then the piston engine 392 00:19:26,766 --> 00:19:29,466 takes the brunt for cruise and descent. 393 00:19:31,266 --> 00:19:34,166 Fuel costs are reduced by 20 to 30 percent, 394 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,533 {\an1}maintenance bills cut in half. 395 00:19:37,566 --> 00:19:39,966 NZEUKOU: We are trying to bring this technology 396 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:41,800 to market as quickly as possible. 397 00:19:41,833 --> 00:19:45,900 {\an1}And so we felt that going the retrofit route 398 00:19:45,933 --> 00:19:48,900 {\an1}and starting with hybrid, as well, versus fully electric, 399 00:19:48,933 --> 00:19:51,200 provided a great mix of performance, 400 00:19:51,233 --> 00:19:54,000 cost savings, and our ability 401 00:19:54,033 --> 00:19:57,166 {\an1}to get it done technically in a timely manner. 402 00:20:00,633 --> 00:20:03,300 O'BRIEN: Not long after this flight test, 403 00:20:03,333 --> 00:20:05,666 {\an1}they took the EEL to Hawaii. 404 00:20:05,700 --> 00:20:07,133 ♪ 405 00:20:07,166 --> 00:20:09,366 {\an1}The company partnered with Mokulele Airlines 406 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,033 {\an1}to see how it handles commuter airline operations 407 00:20:13,066 --> 00:20:16,900 {\an1}with frequent flights and short turnarounds between them. 408 00:20:16,933 --> 00:20:18,866 NZEUKOU: That would be really tough to do 409 00:20:18,900 --> 00:20:20,233 {\an1}in a fully electric plane 410 00:20:20,266 --> 00:20:22,500 {\an1}because you would have to plug in and charge. 411 00:20:22,533 --> 00:20:27,233 {\an1}That's why this hybrid approach for us really made sense. 412 00:20:27,266 --> 00:20:30,366 O'BRIEN: Ampaire is hoping the next step will look like this, 413 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:34,566 a converted 19-seat twin Otter, 414 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,966 {\an1}with electric motors that run on batteries 415 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:41,833 {\an1}charged by an on-board turbine engine. 416 00:20:41,866 --> 00:20:43,700 ♪ 417 00:20:43,733 --> 00:20:45,166 Welcome to my hangar. 418 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:47,133 O'BRIEN: Susan Ying is Ampaire's 419 00:20:47,166 --> 00:20:49,500 {\an1}senior VP of global partnerships. 420 00:20:49,533 --> 00:20:51,500 YING: These regional airplanes 421 00:20:51,533 --> 00:20:54,266 {\an7}buy Turboprop, or even jets, 422 00:20:54,300 --> 00:20:56,300 {\an7}they're not making the profit. 423 00:20:56,333 --> 00:20:58,633 {\an1}In some of the regional market airlines, 424 00:20:58,666 --> 00:20:59,966 {\an1}they're going out of business 425 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,866 {\an1}because they have very thin margin. 426 00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:05,900 {\an1}Electric aviation is going to change that. 427 00:21:08,633 --> 00:21:10,433 O'BRIEN: The idea of jump-starting 428 00:21:10,466 --> 00:21:13,033 {\an1}electrified aviation with hybrids, 429 00:21:13,066 --> 00:21:16,366 {\an1}just as the Prius did for fully electric cars, 430 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,566 {\an1}is gaining traction in other places. 431 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,433 {\an1}Like the Dogpatch, 432 00:21:22,466 --> 00:21:25,133 {\an1}the San Francisco neighborhood that was once 433 00:21:25,166 --> 00:21:27,400 {\an1}home of some shipyards, 434 00:21:27,433 --> 00:21:32,333 {\an1}is now filled with young innovators thinking big. 435 00:21:32,366 --> 00:21:33,566 And there it is. 436 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,733 O'BRIEN: But in this case, not too big, 437 00:21:36,766 --> 00:21:39,600 {\an1}or so Kofi Asante hopes. 438 00:21:39,633 --> 00:21:41,633 ASANTE: And what would you imagine the time before 439 00:21:41,666 --> 00:21:43,533 {\an1}overhaul is going to look like? 440 00:21:43,566 --> 00:21:46,233 O'BRIEN: He's head of strategy and business development 441 00:21:46,266 --> 00:21:49,633 {\an1}for a small start-up called Elroy Air. 442 00:21:49,666 --> 00:21:53,400 {\an8}They are focused on an unpiloted vehicle 443 00:21:53,433 --> 00:21:56,100 {\an7}that can carry 300 pounds of payload 444 00:21:56,133 --> 00:22:00,133 {\an8}for 300 miles at 140 miles per hour. 445 00:22:00,166 --> 00:22:01,342 {\an8}ASANTE: If it's at one warehouse 446 00:22:01,366 --> 00:22:03,000 {\an8}and needs to be at another warehouse, 447 00:22:03,033 --> 00:22:05,766 {\an7}but it can't get there in time, you can all of a sudden enable 448 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,600 {\an7}same-day delivery in a way that wasn't previously possible. 449 00:22:09,633 --> 00:22:11,500 ♪ 450 00:22:11,533 --> 00:22:14,000 O'BRIEN: Batteries alone would not do the job. 451 00:22:14,033 --> 00:22:17,933 {\an1}The range would be limited to 30, maybe 50, miles. 452 00:22:17,966 --> 00:22:22,300 {\an1}So it also has an internal combustion engine. 453 00:22:22,333 --> 00:22:26,366 {\an1}Terik Weekes is Elroy's chief engineer. 454 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,333 WEEKES: In order to get something to market, 455 00:22:29,366 --> 00:22:32,666 {\an1}one, we need to focus on an unmanned vehicle 456 00:22:32,700 --> 00:22:36,500 {\an1}and then, two, focus on the hybrid electric vehicle. 457 00:22:36,533 --> 00:22:39,800 {\an1}This technology allows us to have a more efficient aircraft 458 00:22:39,833 --> 00:22:43,766 {\an1}and have something that's more economically viable. 459 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,542 {\an7}Hopefully these vehicles will eventually become 460 00:22:45,566 --> 00:22:47,500 {\an8}all-electric, but we just don't know when. 461 00:22:48,633 --> 00:22:52,033 O'BRIEN: They have hover tested this model, 462 00:22:52,066 --> 00:22:55,633 {\an1}and now are designing the next iteration. 463 00:22:55,666 --> 00:22:59,566 {\an1}They believe it can help in the wake of natural disasters, 464 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,566 {\an1}or wherever there are obstacles 465 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:05,400 {\an1}to getting urgent items where they are needed, 466 00:23:05,433 --> 00:23:07,100 like vaccines. 467 00:23:07,133 --> 00:23:08,133 ASANTE: Never before 468 00:23:08,166 --> 00:23:09,733 {\an1}has rapid delivery, 469 00:23:09,766 --> 00:23:11,633 {\an1}especially of urgent, like, medical supplies, 470 00:23:11,666 --> 00:23:13,866 or e-commerce, been this important. 471 00:23:13,900 --> 00:23:17,200 {\an1}It's just shot through the roof exponentially overnight. 472 00:23:17,233 --> 00:23:19,109 {\an1}Our goal is to try and be a part of that solution 473 00:23:19,133 --> 00:23:20,766 to help us get in a better spot. 474 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:24,333 O'BRIEN: But Elroy is thinking beyond delivery drones 475 00:23:24,366 --> 00:23:29,000 {\an1}to another mission, which began with another Elroy. 476 00:23:29,033 --> 00:23:30,733 SINGERS: ♪ His boy, Elroy! 477 00:23:30,766 --> 00:23:33,066 O'BRIEN: Yes, that Elroy. 478 00:23:33,100 --> 00:23:36,366 The company was, and still is, 479 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,866 {\an1}dreaming of the Jetsons' flying car. 480 00:23:38,900 --> 00:23:41,600 ASANTE: We believe that there will be a time where 481 00:23:41,633 --> 00:23:45,000 {\an1}people are likely in flying cars and flying taxis. 482 00:23:45,033 --> 00:23:46,900 {\an1}It's hard to tell whether that's going be now 483 00:23:46,933 --> 00:23:48,833 or at what point in time in the future. 484 00:23:48,866 --> 00:23:51,900 {\an8}♪ 485 00:23:51,933 --> 00:23:55,900 {\an8}O'BRIEN: Imagine a world filled with flying cars. 486 00:23:55,933 --> 00:23:58,466 {\an7}Electric propulsion might deliver the freedom 487 00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:01,300 {\an7}of flight to our doorsteps. 488 00:24:01,333 --> 00:24:03,633 ♪ 489 00:24:06,900 --> 00:24:09,266 {\an8}O'BRIEN: In China, one start-up is testing the waters, 490 00:24:09,300 --> 00:24:11,366 {\an7}on drones big enough... 491 00:24:12,700 --> 00:24:15,300 {\an8}to fly people, 492 00:24:15,333 --> 00:24:18,833 {\an1}mostly on sightseeing tours of no more than ten minutes. 493 00:24:21,333 --> 00:24:24,366 {\an1}It is the EHang 216... 494 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,766 Two passengers, 16 propellers. 495 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,433 O'BRIEN: It's not the first flight for this passenger. 496 00:24:36,466 --> 00:24:41,266 {\an1}Edward Xu is chief strategy officer of EHang. 497 00:24:41,300 --> 00:24:44,600 XU: It's very smooth, just like an elevator. 498 00:24:44,633 --> 00:24:47,100 {\an1}You don't have to be a pilot. 499 00:24:47,133 --> 00:24:49,966 {\an7}You just are simply sitting as a passenger 500 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,433 {\an7}and this aircraft will take you to your destination. 501 00:24:53,466 --> 00:24:58,700 O'BRIEN: The company claims it can carry 485 pounds 502 00:24:58,733 --> 00:25:03,200 {\an1}up to 80 miles per hour, for about 20 miles. 503 00:25:03,233 --> 00:25:05,033 {\an1}Not nearly enough capability 504 00:25:05,066 --> 00:25:08,366 {\an1}to change the face of personal transportation, 505 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:10,733 {\an1}but it has proven people are willing to try it, 506 00:25:10,766 --> 00:25:13,533 {\an1}even without a pilot. 507 00:25:13,566 --> 00:25:18,166 {\an1}The company claims more than 6,000 have flown so far. 508 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:21,366 XU: Our company is a very innovative company. 509 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,466 {\an1}We are doing something to change the world. 510 00:25:23,500 --> 00:25:26,666 {\an1}We are doing something that nobody has done before. 511 00:25:26,700 --> 00:25:29,366 O'BRIEN: But they have a lot of competition. 512 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:33,233 EHang is among at least 200 start-ups 513 00:25:33,266 --> 00:25:36,800 {\an1}across the globe, racing to fill the skies 514 00:25:36,833 --> 00:25:39,866 {\an1}with electric vehicles. 515 00:25:39,900 --> 00:25:41,633 {\an1}For decades, aerospace has, 516 00:25:41,666 --> 00:25:44,066 {\an1}for the most part, stayed relatively similar. 517 00:25:44,100 --> 00:25:47,600 {\an1}And now, you're starting to see a lot of groups 518 00:25:47,633 --> 00:25:49,800 {\an1}starting companies, whether it be for 519 00:25:49,833 --> 00:25:52,300 smaller drones, or larger cargo drones, 520 00:25:52,333 --> 00:25:53,533 {\an1}or flying taxis or cars. 521 00:25:53,566 --> 00:25:56,500 {\an1}There's been all sorts of movement there. 522 00:25:56,533 --> 00:25:58,833 O'BRIEN: Before the pandemic, 523 00:25:58,866 --> 00:26:01,433 {\an1}I met with aeronautical engineer Mark Moore, 524 00:26:01,466 --> 00:26:04,666 {\an1}who sparked a lot of this creative thinking. 525 00:26:04,700 --> 00:26:07,600 {\an1}In 2009, then with NASA, 526 00:26:07,633 --> 00:26:11,800 {\an7}he designed a concept vehicle called the Puffin. 527 00:26:11,833 --> 00:26:13,300 {\an8}MOORE: It was a single-person 528 00:26:13,333 --> 00:26:15,966 {\an7}electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft 529 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:20,033 {\an7}that really opened the door to everyone's eyes 530 00:26:20,066 --> 00:26:22,266 {\an7}of what electric vertical 531 00:26:22,300 --> 00:26:24,333 {\an7}take-off and landing aircraft could be. 532 00:26:24,366 --> 00:26:27,500 {\an7}And so we actually called the Puffin 533 00:26:27,533 --> 00:26:29,100 {\an7}the Gridlock Commuter, 534 00:26:29,133 --> 00:26:31,933 {\an8}and that name just instantly clicked. 535 00:26:33,433 --> 00:26:35,566 {\an8}O'BRIEN: One of the people fascinated by Puffin? 536 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,033 {\an1}Google co-founder Larry Page. 537 00:26:39,066 --> 00:26:40,833 {\an1}Soon after he saw it, 538 00:26:40,866 --> 00:26:45,100 {\an1}he began investing in personal electric aircraft projects. 539 00:26:45,133 --> 00:26:48,166 ♪ 540 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,233 At a ranch south of Silicon Valley, 541 00:26:53,266 --> 00:26:56,033 {\an1}a small team from one of those companies, 542 00:26:56,066 --> 00:26:59,233 Kitty Hawk, is flight testing a single-seat 543 00:26:59,266 --> 00:27:02,133 {\an1}electric aircraft called Heaviside. 544 00:27:04,033 --> 00:27:06,500 The company is led by entrepreneur 545 00:27:06,533 --> 00:27:10,533 {\an1}and computer scientist Sebastian Thrun. 546 00:27:10,566 --> 00:27:13,900 {\an1}He invited us for a rare peek 547 00:27:13,933 --> 00:27:16,266 {\an1}and a slick pitch. 548 00:27:16,300 --> 00:27:18,666 THRUN: This might sound crazy, 549 00:27:18,700 --> 00:27:22,500 {\an1}but we believe it's the future of transportation for everybody. 550 00:27:22,533 --> 00:27:24,233 THRUN: If you put the car in the air, 551 00:27:24,266 --> 00:27:26,600 {\an7}there's no obstacle, you go in a straight line, 552 00:27:26,633 --> 00:27:28,266 {\an7}you're not in anyone's way. 553 00:27:28,300 --> 00:27:31,633 {\an7}You don't need roads anymore, you're more energy efficient. 554 00:27:31,666 --> 00:27:33,800 {\an1}You're faster, you're safer. 555 00:27:33,833 --> 00:27:36,133 {\an1}Why would people not want that? 556 00:27:36,166 --> 00:27:38,600 {\an8}O'BRIEN: It's an electric vertical 557 00:27:38,633 --> 00:27:42,900 {\an7}take-off and landing vehicle, or eVTOL. 558 00:27:42,933 --> 00:27:45,300 {\an7}The propellers pivot the thrust 559 00:27:45,333 --> 00:27:47,133 {\an7}from horizontal to vertical, 560 00:27:47,166 --> 00:27:51,200 {\an7}allowing the craft to take off and land on a dime... 561 00:27:52,466 --> 00:27:56,333 {\an8}And still fly 180 miles per hour. 562 00:27:56,366 --> 00:27:58,966 {\an8}♪ 563 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,000 {\an8}MAN: Enabled. 564 00:28:00,033 --> 00:28:01,366 {\an8}Here we go. 565 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:03,766 {\an8}O'BRIEN: The Kitty Hawk team is flight testing, 566 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:06,800 {\an7}aiming to be certified for piloted flight 567 00:28:06,833 --> 00:28:09,400 by the Federal Aviation Administration. 568 00:28:09,433 --> 00:28:10,966 {\an1}Tilting. 569 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:12,566 THRUN: We've built over a hundred 570 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:15,166 {\an1}fully functioning prototypes in the last years. 571 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,200 {\an1}We've done almost 30,000 572 00:28:18,233 --> 00:28:22,133 {\an1}individual flights, and we've learned a lot. 573 00:28:22,166 --> 00:28:26,066 {\an1}We had, of course, incidents from which we learn. 574 00:28:26,100 --> 00:28:29,600 {\an1}Luckily, no one was ever hurt, we have always been safe. 575 00:28:29,633 --> 00:28:31,466 {\an1}But yeah, it's been an evolution to make sure 576 00:28:31,500 --> 00:28:34,533 {\an1}that even the weakest part of the aircraft is strong. 577 00:28:37,766 --> 00:28:40,800 O'BRIEN: Thrun believes the way to reconcile 578 00:28:40,833 --> 00:28:44,200 {\an1}his big dream of a Heaviside in every driveway, 579 00:28:44,233 --> 00:28:47,233 {\an1}with safety, is automation. 580 00:28:47,266 --> 00:28:51,566 THRUN: People without a full piloting skill set 581 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:56,133 {\an1}and certification should be able to hop into those, 582 00:28:56,166 --> 00:28:58,366 {\an1}punch in their target address and get there. 583 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,966 {\an1}Before that, there's many steps we have to cross, 584 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,833 {\an1}but I see no technical reason 585 00:29:04,866 --> 00:29:07,566 {\an1}why we couldn't accomplish this with this aircraft. 586 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:11,466 {\an1}The reason why we do electric is we are just super quiet, 587 00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:15,233 {\an1}like we fly over you and you can't hear us. 588 00:29:16,833 --> 00:29:19,300 O'BRIEN: Sebastian Thrun is a pioneer 589 00:29:19,333 --> 00:29:22,666 {\an1}in the development of autonomous cars. 590 00:29:22,700 --> 00:29:27,466 {\an1}He is the founder of Google's self-driving car project. 591 00:29:27,500 --> 00:29:32,100 {\an1}He says self-flying aircraft are an easier challenge. 592 00:29:32,133 --> 00:29:34,466 THRUN: All the stuff to hit from your bicyclist, 593 00:29:34,500 --> 00:29:36,900 {\an1}to your playing child, to your curb, to your shrub, 594 00:29:36,933 --> 00:29:38,900 {\an1}they're all on the ground. 595 00:29:38,933 --> 00:29:41,700 {\an1}You go up 500 feet and there's nothing to hit. 596 00:29:41,733 --> 00:29:44,266 {\an1}And as we go through this, 597 00:29:44,300 --> 00:29:46,833 {\an1}we've made it safer and safer and safer, 598 00:29:46,866 --> 00:29:50,533 {\an1}in part by adding more and more redundancy. 599 00:29:50,566 --> 00:29:54,033 O'BRIEN: But wait, no pilot? 600 00:29:54,066 --> 00:29:56,100 {\an1}Automation might be safer, 601 00:29:56,133 --> 00:29:58,733 but I'm not sure I'm ready to take the likes 602 00:29:58,766 --> 00:30:01,866 of Wendy Kraft out of this picture. 603 00:30:01,900 --> 00:30:07,033 {\an1}Which brings me back to my mysterious helicopter ride, 604 00:30:07,066 --> 00:30:10,333 {\an1}to get a glimpse of its 21st century successor. 605 00:30:14,633 --> 00:30:16,966 Maybe we should step over and see 606 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:18,666 how it is to sit in the aircraft... 607 00:30:18,700 --> 00:30:23,866 O'BRIEN: JoeBen Bevirt founded Joby Aviation in 2009. 608 00:30:23,900 --> 00:30:26,966 The aircraft he and his team designed 609 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,166 {\an1}is now in flight testing for FAA certification. 610 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:33,300 It's the current leader in the race 611 00:30:33,333 --> 00:30:36,666 {\an1}to fill the world with electric air taxis. 612 00:30:36,700 --> 00:30:38,266 BEVIRT: This aircraft is 613 00:30:38,300 --> 00:30:39,566 {\an7}the culmination of a decade 614 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,333 {\an7}of research and development into how to build 615 00:30:42,366 --> 00:30:46,500 {\an7}an incredibly safe, quiet, and cost-effective aircraft. 616 00:30:46,533 --> 00:30:49,866 O'BRIEN: It carries a pilot and four passengers 617 00:30:49,900 --> 00:30:52,033 {\an1}under six tilting motors. 618 00:30:52,066 --> 00:30:53,666 BEVIRT: It provides us an aircraft 619 00:30:53,700 --> 00:30:55,500 {\an1}which is incredibly good at hovering 620 00:30:55,533 --> 00:30:57,433 {\an1}and incredibly good at cruising. 621 00:30:57,466 --> 00:30:59,000 {\an1}That efficiency and cruise 622 00:30:59,033 --> 00:31:02,066 {\an1}is what gets us our range and gets us our speed. 623 00:31:02,100 --> 00:31:05,300 O'BRIEN: He says it can fly 200 miles per hour 624 00:31:05,333 --> 00:31:07,900 {\an1}and has a range of 150 miles. 625 00:31:07,933 --> 00:31:10,166 BEVIRT: There are four batteries in the aircraft. 626 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,700 {\an1}The batteries that we have in this aircraft right now 627 00:31:12,733 --> 00:31:14,866 {\an1}are the batteries that we're going to production with 628 00:31:14,900 --> 00:31:17,400 {\an1}and they provide us the range and performance 629 00:31:17,433 --> 00:31:20,900 {\an1}that we need to fundamentally transform transportation. 630 00:31:23,233 --> 00:31:26,933 O'BRIEN: Joby designs, tests, and builds 631 00:31:26,966 --> 00:31:29,600 {\an1}almost all the components of its aircraft, 632 00:31:29,633 --> 00:31:33,400 {\an1}giving new meaning to the term vertical integration. 633 00:31:33,433 --> 00:31:34,942 BEVIRT: We developed the battery packs, 634 00:31:34,966 --> 00:31:36,209 we developed the propulsion systems, 635 00:31:36,233 --> 00:31:37,733 we developed the actuators, 636 00:31:37,766 --> 00:31:39,433 {\an1}we developed the inceptors... 637 00:31:39,466 --> 00:31:40,876 {\an1}everything that you see here is something that 638 00:31:40,900 --> 00:31:42,933 {\an1}is being developed and manufactured in-house. 639 00:31:42,966 --> 00:31:46,233 O'BRIEN: Much of the work was done in secret in a barn 640 00:31:46,266 --> 00:31:50,733 {\an1}on a secluded property among the redwoods in Santa Cruz. 641 00:31:50,766 --> 00:31:52,700 BEVIRT: I wanted a place to be able to 642 00:31:52,733 --> 00:31:54,966 {\an1}experiment and try crazy things. 643 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,366 O'BRIEN: There's an old quarry here where they did a lot 644 00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:59,300 {\an1}of early flight testing. 645 00:31:59,333 --> 00:32:02,666 {\an1}These days, it is home to a circular track 646 00:32:02,700 --> 00:32:04,900 where they test motors for endurance. 647 00:32:04,933 --> 00:32:06,633 BEVIRT: There were a number of years where 648 00:32:06,666 --> 00:32:09,600 {\an1}we went through a huge amount of iteration 649 00:32:09,633 --> 00:32:12,533 {\an1}and trial and error to learn about 650 00:32:12,566 --> 00:32:14,866 {\an1}what were the best aircraft configurations. 651 00:32:14,900 --> 00:32:16,533 {\an3}MAN: Start confirmed. 652 00:32:16,566 --> 00:32:17,833 We're at idle. 653 00:32:17,866 --> 00:32:20,066 {\an1}I'm gonna bring it to 200 rpm. 654 00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:21,700 BEVIRT: Electric propulsion opens up 655 00:32:21,733 --> 00:32:23,933 {\an1}a huge amount of design freedom. 656 00:32:23,966 --> 00:32:26,733 {\an1}It allows you to think really differently about 657 00:32:26,766 --> 00:32:30,500 {\an1}how you apply the propulsion to the aircraft. 658 00:32:30,533 --> 00:32:34,800 {\an1}31 knots, 33 knots. 659 00:32:34,833 --> 00:32:36,866 BEVIRT: The aircraft that you've seen 660 00:32:36,900 --> 00:32:40,000 {\an1}is the culmination of many years of exploration. 661 00:32:40,033 --> 00:32:42,966 ♪ 662 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:44,766 O'BRIEN: Back at the airstrip, 663 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:47,733 {\an1}I met chief test pilot Justin Paines, 664 00:32:47,766 --> 00:32:50,966 who spent years in the Royal Air Force 665 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,966 {\an1}flying Harrier vertical take-off and landing jets. 666 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,900 {\an1}So, how much easier is this to fly, relative to a Harrier, 667 00:32:57,933 --> 00:32:59,700 or for that matter, a helicopter? 668 00:32:59,733 --> 00:33:01,333 {\an7}Chalk and cheese. 669 00:33:01,366 --> 00:33:03,466 {\an7}I could put you in it, I could stand behind you, 670 00:33:03,500 --> 00:33:05,433 {\an7}and we could go flying and you'd be quite capable 671 00:33:05,466 --> 00:33:07,900 {\an7}of flying the airplane, it's that simple to fly. 672 00:33:07,933 --> 00:33:10,500 O'BRIEN: The goal is to have the aircraft 673 00:33:10,533 --> 00:33:13,933 {\an1}initially certified for flight with a pilot. 674 00:33:15,900 --> 00:33:17,966 The aircraft has flown hundreds of times, 675 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,133 {\an1}mostly by remote control. 676 00:33:21,166 --> 00:33:22,466 {\an8}Obviously you're still learning, 677 00:33:22,500 --> 00:33:23,976 {\an8}but is it flying the way you imagined it? 678 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:26,600 {\an1}Yes, this aircraft is flying incredibly well, 679 00:33:26,633 --> 00:33:28,466 {\an1}it's a dream come true, 680 00:33:28,500 --> 00:33:30,833 {\an1}and we're really excited to put it into production 681 00:33:30,866 --> 00:33:32,466 and share it with the world. 682 00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:35,633 ♪ 683 00:33:35,666 --> 00:33:37,800 O'BRIEN: Still media wary, 684 00:33:37,833 --> 00:33:40,166 JoeBen Bevirt allowed us to watch, 685 00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:43,700 {\an1}but would not let us film one of their test flights. 686 00:33:43,733 --> 00:33:45,600 I was impressed. 687 00:33:45,633 --> 00:33:50,066 {\an1}It is remarkably quiet, much quieter than a helicopter. 688 00:33:50,100 --> 00:33:53,466 {\an1}But the video the company shot and shared with us later 689 00:33:53,500 --> 00:33:56,666 has no audio, so the only public recording 690 00:33:56,700 --> 00:34:00,666 {\an1}of its noise signature is captured in this promo, 691 00:34:00,700 --> 00:34:04,566 {\an1}announcing Joby is now publicly traded by merging 692 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:07,000 {\an1}with a special purpose acquisition company. 693 00:34:07,033 --> 00:34:09,633 {\an1}Thank you so much. 694 00:34:12,533 --> 00:34:15,966 ♪ 695 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,166 O'BRIEN: On paper, Joby was worth 696 00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:22,800 $6.6 billion when it went public. 697 00:34:22,833 --> 00:34:27,366 {\an1}The company hopes to have the aircraft certified in 2023. 698 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:30,500 BEVIRT: We want to be comparable in cost 699 00:34:30,533 --> 00:34:33,266 to the price of a taxi at launch, 700 00:34:33,300 --> 00:34:35,433 {\an1}and bring that cost down to the cost 701 00:34:35,466 --> 00:34:38,600 {\an1}of personal car ownership over the coming years. 702 00:34:38,633 --> 00:34:42,733 {\an8}O'BRIEN: Uber spent millions developing air taxi concepts, 703 00:34:42,766 --> 00:34:44,400 {\an8}but in the midst of the pandemic, 704 00:34:44,433 --> 00:34:47,533 {\an7}sold its notional flight division to Joby. 705 00:34:47,566 --> 00:34:51,266 {\an1}No one can accuse JoeBen Bevirt of thinking small. 706 00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:52,433 BEVIRT: In order to have 707 00:34:52,466 --> 00:34:54,433 the impact that we want to have 708 00:34:54,466 --> 00:34:58,800 {\an1}in order to transform the way everyone moves every day, 709 00:34:58,833 --> 00:35:01,066 {\an1}we will need to make millions of these. 710 00:35:01,100 --> 00:35:05,500 {\an1}Our mission is to save a billion people an hour a day. 711 00:35:05,533 --> 00:35:08,866 {\an8}♪ 712 00:35:08,900 --> 00:35:12,500 {\an8}O'BRIEN: A billion people flying air taxis? 713 00:35:12,533 --> 00:35:15,400 {\an7}How could that be safe? 714 00:35:17,900 --> 00:35:21,066 {\an1}At NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, 715 00:35:21,100 --> 00:35:24,466 {\an1}they're tackling the air traffic control challenge. 716 00:35:26,500 --> 00:35:29,633 {\an1}That's what led me here, to the legendary 717 00:35:29,666 --> 00:35:32,333 {\an1}Vertical Motion Simulator. 718 00:35:32,366 --> 00:35:35,133 {\an1}Once upon a time, space shuttle astronauts 719 00:35:35,166 --> 00:35:37,466 {\an1}honed their landing skills here. 720 00:35:37,500 --> 00:35:40,566 There's nothing like it anywhere else. 721 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:42,133 {\an1}Back on glide slope... 722 00:35:42,166 --> 00:35:45,366 O'BRIEN: And now, NASA is using it to understand 723 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:48,733 {\an1}how to devise a safe air traffic control system 724 00:35:48,766 --> 00:35:52,900 {\an1}for advanced air mobility. 725 00:35:52,933 --> 00:35:54,566 {\an1}Hey, Gordon, how are you? 726 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:56,066 HARDY: Hey, great, Miles. 727 00:35:56,100 --> 00:35:57,666 {\an1}Let's go eVTOL flying, shall we? 728 00:35:57,700 --> 00:35:59,666 Good to see you, yeah, hop in. 729 00:35:59,700 --> 00:36:03,200 {\an1}O'BRIEN (voiceover): Before the pandemic, veteran NASA test pilot 730 00:36:03,233 --> 00:36:06,566 {\an1}Gordon Hardy gave me a glimpse of the future. 731 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:08,000 NICK: All right, computer's ready. 732 00:36:08,033 --> 00:36:09,033 {\an1}Cockpit's ready. 733 00:36:09,066 --> 00:36:10,866 Operate. 734 00:36:10,900 --> 00:36:16,166 O'BRIEN: So we're over San Francisco on a nice sunny day. 735 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:17,476 So I'm trying to imagine this city 736 00:36:17,500 --> 00:36:21,400 {\an1}with hundreds of these aircraft buzzing around it. 737 00:36:21,433 --> 00:36:22,800 {\an1}HARDY (chuckles): Yeah. 738 00:36:22,833 --> 00:36:24,966 What's that going to be like? 739 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,166 {\an1}Yeah, yeah. (chuckles) 740 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:27,833 {\an7}And hopefully not hitting each other, 741 00:36:27,866 --> 00:36:29,600 {\an7}nor falling out of the sky. 742 00:36:29,633 --> 00:36:31,100 O'BRIEN: Exactly. 743 00:36:31,133 --> 00:36:33,633 (voiceover): But the world that Gordon is helping NASA create 744 00:36:33,666 --> 00:36:37,233 {\an1}is designed to work without pilots like him. 745 00:36:37,266 --> 00:36:42,233 {\an7}Eventually, autonomous air taxis will need to safely fly 746 00:36:42,266 --> 00:36:44,733 {\an7}to and from convenient places, 747 00:36:44,766 --> 00:36:47,066 {\an7}taking off, navigating, landing, 748 00:36:47,100 --> 00:36:50,433 {\an7}and dealing with emergencies, all on their own. 749 00:36:50,466 --> 00:36:53,133 {\an1}It's a complex problem. 750 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:56,500 {\an1}BRIAN: So we should see it bank soon... 751 00:36:56,533 --> 00:36:58,766 O'BRIEN: In another building not far away, 752 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:01,900 engineers are immersed in a 360 degree 753 00:37:01,933 --> 00:37:05,400 {\an1}virtual depiction of the city, watching us fly. 754 00:37:05,433 --> 00:37:08,466 BRIAN: We're tracking the UAM 003 currently. 755 00:37:08,500 --> 00:37:10,766 That's the vertical motion simulator. 756 00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:12,366 {\an1}All right, looks good. 757 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:13,866 {\an1}And the speed is okay? 758 00:37:13,900 --> 00:37:18,100 O'BRIEN: Sandy Lozito is chief of the aviation systems division. 759 00:37:18,133 --> 00:37:19,433 LOZITO: We have to think about 760 00:37:19,466 --> 00:37:21,000 {\an7}all of those vehicles 761 00:37:21,033 --> 00:37:22,442 {\an7}being in the air space at the same time, 762 00:37:22,466 --> 00:37:24,333 {\an8}different performance parameters, 763 00:37:24,366 --> 00:37:27,100 {\an7}potentially different training for the ones that are piloted. 764 00:37:27,133 --> 00:37:30,166 {\an1}And then how do we make sure that everything stays safe? 765 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,200 O'BRIEN: In this world, 766 00:37:32,233 --> 00:37:36,100 {\an1}the idea of a control tower is outdated. 767 00:37:36,133 --> 00:37:40,566 LOZITO: Looks like we've got the VMS going up and over the bridge. 768 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:42,666 {\an5}Yeah, that's working perfectly. All right. 769 00:37:42,700 --> 00:37:46,600 O'BRIEN: Before COVID, there were more than 45,000 flights 770 00:37:46,633 --> 00:37:50,600 {\an1}every day in the U.S. 771 00:37:50,633 --> 00:37:53,133 {\an7}It's an intricate symphony precisely conducted 772 00:37:53,166 --> 00:37:55,066 {\an7}by air traffic controllers. 773 00:37:55,100 --> 00:37:56,700 {\an1}Are you good? 774 00:37:56,733 --> 00:37:58,966 O'BRIEN: But if eVTOLs take off, 775 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,800 there will be a lot more players. 776 00:38:01,833 --> 00:38:04,466 LOZITO: We do not necessarily expect a centralized 777 00:38:04,500 --> 00:38:07,533 {\an1}air traffic control tower to do it with individual 778 00:38:07,566 --> 00:38:09,100 {\an1}directives telling the pilots 779 00:38:09,133 --> 00:38:11,000 {\an1}how to come in and out of the vertiport. 780 00:38:11,033 --> 00:38:13,100 And so, that's a very different operation. 781 00:38:13,133 --> 00:38:15,042 There could be much more independence on the part 782 00:38:15,066 --> 00:38:17,233 of the pilots and the individual operators 783 00:38:17,266 --> 00:38:19,133 as they move in and out of these areas. 784 00:38:19,166 --> 00:38:21,966 O'BRIEN: Independence? 785 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,633 It sounds like a prescription for disaster. 786 00:38:24,666 --> 00:38:26,966 ♪ 787 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,400 {\an1}But NASA has been working on this for the past few years, 788 00:38:30,433 --> 00:38:32,666 {\an1}on smaller drones that don't carry people. 789 00:38:32,700 --> 00:38:35,400 {\an1}The lessons learned writing those rules 790 00:38:35,433 --> 00:38:37,433 {\an1}are offering them a foundation. 791 00:38:37,466 --> 00:38:39,800 SHARMA: So these would be its operations, right? 792 00:38:39,833 --> 00:38:42,333 Coming in around here and landing here on top of this. 793 00:38:42,366 --> 00:38:47,666 O'BRIEN: Shivanjli Sharma is an aerospace research engineer at Ames. 794 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:53,266 {\an1}She and her team are using data from the simulations 795 00:38:53,300 --> 00:38:56,966 {\an1}to write the algorithms that will allow air traffic control 796 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:00,266 {\an1}to be digital, more automated, 797 00:39:00,300 --> 00:39:02,533 and distributed. 798 00:39:02,566 --> 00:39:05,900 {\an1}The goal would be to share information with other operators 799 00:39:05,933 --> 00:39:09,700 {\an1}and folks like the FAA to make sure that everybody 800 00:39:09,733 --> 00:39:13,200 {\an1}in the airspace knows where one another really is flying. 801 00:39:13,233 --> 00:39:17,166 O'BRIEN: In flight, an air taxi would continuously transmit 802 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:20,566 its location to receivers on the ground. 803 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,433 SHARMA: As that vehicle is flying, 804 00:39:22,466 --> 00:39:24,866 {\an1}we're monitoring its position 805 00:39:24,900 --> 00:39:27,866 {\an7}in relation to that four-dimensional volume. 806 00:39:27,900 --> 00:39:31,366 {\an7}Are they inside that volume, are they outside of that volume? 807 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:33,566 Are they in that volume at the time 808 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:35,500 {\an1}they predicted they would be? 809 00:39:35,533 --> 00:39:37,833 O'BRIEN: There are many hurdles. 810 00:39:37,866 --> 00:39:40,433 {\an1}At low altitudes in cities, 811 00:39:40,466 --> 00:39:44,200 {\an1}GPS and cellular signals can be unreliable. 812 00:39:44,233 --> 00:39:46,966 {\an1}And what about security? 813 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:49,833 Transmitting all this mission-critical, 814 00:39:49,866 --> 00:39:52,766 {\an1}life and death information across shared cloud networks 815 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,933 {\an1}offers its own set of risks. 816 00:39:55,966 --> 00:39:58,800 And there's one other big challenge, 817 00:39:58,833 --> 00:40:01,266 this new air traffic control scheme 818 00:40:01,300 --> 00:40:05,633 {\an1}needs to work safely alongside the old one. 819 00:40:05,666 --> 00:40:08,100 LOZITO: If there are tubes in the sky 820 00:40:08,133 --> 00:40:10,700 {\an1}or particular lanes of airspace 821 00:40:10,733 --> 00:40:13,166 in which these vehicles may transport, 822 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:15,166 {\an1}we know that at some point they're going to be 823 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:19,100 {\an1}near conventional aircraft, commercial aircraft, 824 00:40:19,133 --> 00:40:21,566 {\an1}and we have to make sure that those can work together 825 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:23,633 {\an1}or can complement one another. 826 00:40:23,666 --> 00:40:26,700 ♪ 827 00:40:26,733 --> 00:40:31,066 O'BRIEN: Flying cars may seem distant to most of us, 828 00:40:31,100 --> 00:40:33,900 but for NASA engineer Starr Ginn, 829 00:40:33,933 --> 00:40:36,066 {\an1}it's close to home. 830 00:40:36,100 --> 00:40:38,933 {\an1}One of the thought leaders on electric aviation, 831 00:40:38,966 --> 00:40:41,533 she lives in a house with a hangar, 832 00:40:41,566 --> 00:40:43,733 {\an7}right beside a runway. 833 00:40:43,766 --> 00:40:46,500 {\an8}GINN: I feel so lucky, right, I get to live in a Sky Park 834 00:40:46,533 --> 00:40:48,566 {\an7}and can get in my airplane and go wherever I want. 835 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:50,309 {\an1}This whole time in my mind, I've been thinking, 836 00:40:50,333 --> 00:40:52,276 {\an1}"I want everybody to be able to have what I have." 837 00:40:52,300 --> 00:40:55,766 O'BRIEN: On this Sunday morning, she and her husband Tony, 838 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:57,200 {\an1}also a NASA engineer, 839 00:40:57,233 --> 00:41:01,900 {\an1}decided to air out their Thorp T-18. 840 00:41:01,933 --> 00:41:04,700 ♪ 841 00:41:04,733 --> 00:41:07,500 A speedy little homebuilt airplane. 842 00:41:07,533 --> 00:41:11,666 ♪ 843 00:41:15,333 --> 00:41:17,333 {\an1}How low can you go? 844 00:41:17,366 --> 00:41:19,600 {\an1}There's two hundred, 2-0-3. 845 00:41:19,633 --> 00:41:21,133 {\an1}Can you go lower? 846 00:41:21,166 --> 00:41:24,433 ♪ 847 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:29,600 STARR: Whoo-hoo! (laughs) 848 00:41:29,633 --> 00:41:31,866 TONY: Too much fun. 849 00:41:31,900 --> 00:41:34,033 {\an1}That's the best feeling. Yeah. 850 00:41:34,066 --> 00:41:36,200 O'BRIEN: Fast as the Thorp is, 851 00:41:36,233 --> 00:41:38,700 {\an1}she knows it could do better. 852 00:41:38,733 --> 00:41:43,700 {\an1}The wing is not optimized for speed, deliberately. 853 00:41:43,733 --> 00:41:46,633 {\an7}Typically, a general aviation airplane's wing's 854 00:41:46,666 --> 00:41:49,566 {\an7}designed for stall, low-speed performance. 855 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,233 {\an8}O'BRIEN: The faster air moves over a wing, 856 00:41:53,266 --> 00:41:55,466 {\an7}the more lift it provides. 857 00:41:55,500 --> 00:41:58,333 {\an8}And the greater the surface area of a wing, 858 00:41:58,366 --> 00:42:01,100 {\an8}the more lift it can create. 859 00:42:01,133 --> 00:42:04,600 {\an7}So for safety's sake, wings are made wide enough 860 00:42:04,633 --> 00:42:08,166 {\an7}to provide adequate lift at slow speeds. 861 00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:11,766 {\an7}But once an airplane levels off and starts flying faster, 862 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:16,166 {\an7}the added lift from that fat wing is no longer needed. 863 00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:19,900 {\an7}In fact it's a drag... literally. 864 00:42:19,933 --> 00:42:25,166 {\an7}The extra surface area makes the airplane less efficient. 865 00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:28,233 {\an7}Making a wing narrower would reduce drag, 866 00:42:28,266 --> 00:42:32,300 {\an7}but at slower airspeeds would not create enough lift. 867 00:42:32,333 --> 00:42:36,600 {\an7}Electric motors offer a solution to this dilemma. 868 00:42:36,633 --> 00:42:39,266 {\an7}They are so lightweight that they can be placed 869 00:42:39,300 --> 00:42:41,633 {\an7}all across that narrow wing. 870 00:42:41,666 --> 00:42:44,766 {\an7}Even at slower speeds, the extra airflow 871 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,466 {\an7}from these motors adds lift. 872 00:42:47,500 --> 00:42:49,500 {\an8}In a way, they're tricking the wing 873 00:42:49,533 --> 00:42:52,800 {\an8}into thinking it's flying faster. 874 00:42:52,833 --> 00:42:54,800 {\an8}GINN: You're blowing air 875 00:42:54,833 --> 00:42:56,166 over those wings 876 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:58,500 {\an1}as if they think they're up in the air just cruising 877 00:42:58,533 --> 00:43:00,633 in your normal speed of flight. 878 00:43:00,666 --> 00:43:03,033 O'BRIEN: To test out the idea, 879 00:43:03,066 --> 00:43:05,500 {\an1}she teamed up with fellow NASA engineer 880 00:43:05,533 --> 00:43:08,100 {\an1}and Puffin creator, Mark Moore. 881 00:43:08,133 --> 00:43:11,500 GINN: It was a very small contingency around 882 00:43:11,533 --> 00:43:12,766 {\an1}the NASA aeronautics centers 883 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:14,466 that were this different group of... 884 00:43:14,500 --> 00:43:16,133 {\an1}I don't know, rebels. 885 00:43:16,166 --> 00:43:19,933 O'BRIEN: They attached 18 electric motors, made by Joby, 886 00:43:19,966 --> 00:43:23,433 {\an1}to a slender wing and mounted it high above a truck 887 00:43:23,466 --> 00:43:27,066 {\an1}to avoid interactions with the vehicle and the ground. 888 00:43:27,100 --> 00:43:29,700 MOORE: It looked like a Mad Max truck 889 00:43:29,733 --> 00:43:32,833 {\an1}with a big distributed electric propulsion wing 890 00:43:32,866 --> 00:43:34,076 {\an1}that we drove across the desert 891 00:43:34,100 --> 00:43:35,676 {\an1}because we couldn't afford a wind tunnel. 892 00:43:35,700 --> 00:43:39,133 GINN: It wasn't any, you know, spectacular kind of thing, 893 00:43:39,166 --> 00:43:41,033 but it got us the information we wanted. 894 00:43:41,066 --> 00:43:42,842 {\an1}At the same time, Mark and I were getting ready 895 00:43:42,866 --> 00:43:44,700 {\an1}for a pitch to say, like, we should really, 896 00:43:44,733 --> 00:43:46,300 {\an1}like, put this on an airplane. 897 00:43:46,333 --> 00:43:50,000 {\an1}They convinced NASA brass to create the first 898 00:43:50,033 --> 00:43:52,733 {\an1}piloted experimental, or X, plane 899 00:43:52,766 --> 00:43:54,633 {\an1}in more than 20 years. 900 00:43:54,666 --> 00:43:57,900 {\an1}It's the X-57 Maxwell. 901 00:43:57,933 --> 00:44:01,800 It will have 14 Joby electric motors 902 00:44:01,833 --> 00:44:03,433 {\an1}that will test the advantages 903 00:44:03,466 --> 00:44:05,966 of distributed electric propulsion. 904 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:08,833 MOORE: You're not dependent on a single motor or controller, 905 00:44:08,866 --> 00:44:12,533 {\an1}but you distribute that power across the airframe 906 00:44:12,566 --> 00:44:15,766 {\an1}so that if any one breaks, the vehicle can still fly. 907 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:20,966 O'BRIEN: Sean Clarke is now the engineer in charge of the program. 908 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:23,966 {\an7}Putting 14 motors on an airplane is not obviously a good idea, 909 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:26,333 {\an7}but we want to take the time to find out, 910 00:44:26,366 --> 00:44:28,066 {\an1}is it reasonable to build 911 00:44:28,100 --> 00:44:31,066 {\an1}an aircraft around that configuration? 912 00:44:31,100 --> 00:44:34,133 O'BRIEN: Maxwell is a modification of an existing 913 00:44:34,166 --> 00:44:36,166 {\an1}piston engine aircraft. 914 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:39,866 {\an1}The new wing is only 40 percent of the width 915 00:44:39,900 --> 00:44:42,766 {\an1}of the slow speed wing it replaces, 916 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:46,000 {\an7}a huge reduction in drag. 917 00:44:46,033 --> 00:44:50,733 {\an7}It will take off with all 14 motors running. 918 00:44:50,766 --> 00:44:52,900 {\an7}Once leveled off, the 12 smaller motors 919 00:44:52,933 --> 00:44:55,300 {\an7}will be shut down to conserve batteries, 920 00:44:55,333 --> 00:44:57,933 {\an7}the props folded back. 921 00:44:57,966 --> 00:45:00,400 {\an1}It's a challenging conversion. 922 00:45:00,433 --> 00:45:03,200 {\an1}The wiring required for all those motors, 923 00:45:03,233 --> 00:45:06,000 {\an1}their electronics, and the instrumentation 924 00:45:06,033 --> 00:45:08,500 has to fit in a very tight space. 925 00:45:08,533 --> 00:45:10,209 {\an5}And it's on the inside edge, too. It's on the inside edge. 926 00:45:10,233 --> 00:45:12,166 That's going to be a little bit tricky. 927 00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:13,709 {\an1}Yes, and then we're also concerned a little bit 928 00:45:13,733 --> 00:45:16,066 {\an1}about the edge right where it comes out. Oh, okay. 929 00:45:16,100 --> 00:45:18,600 {\an8}O'BRIEN: But the Maxwell team has faced 930 00:45:18,633 --> 00:45:21,300 {\an7}even more daunting challenges than this. 931 00:45:21,333 --> 00:45:24,366 {\an7}In 2016, they ran a test 932 00:45:24,400 --> 00:45:26,566 {\an1}on the lithium ion batteries. 933 00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:29,700 {\an1}They stressed them to see how safe they might be 934 00:45:29,733 --> 00:45:32,100 {\an1}if they failed in flight. 935 00:45:32,133 --> 00:45:34,433 CLARKE: What we found is when one cell fails, 936 00:45:34,466 --> 00:45:36,933 {\an1}it makes the next cell over get really hot and it fails, 937 00:45:36,966 --> 00:45:39,400 {\an1}and then the next one fails, and you have a chain reaction 938 00:45:39,433 --> 00:45:42,500 {\an1}through all 5,000 cells on the airplane, potentially. 939 00:45:44,100 --> 00:45:47,066 O'BRIEN: So they reached out to NASA experts who designed 940 00:45:47,100 --> 00:45:50,266 {\an1}the batteries used by astronauts in space. 941 00:45:51,433 --> 00:45:54,633 {\an1}The collaboration led to a much safer 942 00:45:54,666 --> 00:45:56,733 {\an1}battery pack for Maxwell. 943 00:45:56,766 --> 00:45:59,266 {\an7}They hope to fly it in 2021. 944 00:45:59,300 --> 00:46:02,533 {\an8}CLARKE: I'm really interested in these technologies finding their way 945 00:46:02,566 --> 00:46:04,933 {\an1}onto passenger aircraft, to transport class aircraft 946 00:46:04,966 --> 00:46:07,033 {\an1}someday, but we need to work up to that. 947 00:46:07,066 --> 00:46:09,466 {\an1}This is the next step up; we want to be able to put 948 00:46:09,500 --> 00:46:12,033 {\an1}a pilot onboard and have our pilot understand 949 00:46:12,066 --> 00:46:14,700 {\an1}and feel the response of the propulsion system 950 00:46:14,733 --> 00:46:17,600 {\an1}and start working toward that transport class dream. 951 00:46:17,633 --> 00:46:20,833 {\an8}O'BRIEN: The transport class dream, 952 00:46:20,866 --> 00:46:23,966 {\an7}carrying hundreds of passengers and tons of cargo, 953 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:27,733 {\an8}hinges on range, speed, and payload. 954 00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:33,666 {\an1}For now, batteries come up short on all fronts. 955 00:46:33,700 --> 00:46:35,700 {\an1}And while they are getting steadily better, 956 00:46:35,733 --> 00:46:37,433 {\an1}about five percent a year, 957 00:46:37,466 --> 00:46:40,966 {\an1}the gap is so wide it will take at least a decade 958 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,766 {\an1}for them to catch up, if ever. 959 00:46:45,466 --> 00:46:49,100 Is there a way to decarbonize aviation sooner? 960 00:46:52,333 --> 00:46:54,800 {\an1}In Stuttgart, Germany, electrical engineer 961 00:46:54,833 --> 00:46:59,800 {\an1}Josef Kallo is working with a company called H2Fly. 962 00:46:59,833 --> 00:47:03,100 {\an1}They're making airplanes that run on hydrogen. 963 00:47:03,133 --> 00:47:04,766 KALLO: At the moment, 964 00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:06,133 {\an7}the most promising technology 965 00:47:06,166 --> 00:47:09,200 {\an7}emission-free is to have fuel cells with hydrogen. 966 00:47:09,233 --> 00:47:11,866 O'BRIEN: Fuel cells generate electricity 967 00:47:11,900 --> 00:47:14,166 through an electrochemical reaction. 968 00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:19,166 {\an1}Hydrogen reacts with incoming oxygen to generate electricity. 969 00:47:19,200 --> 00:47:21,600 {\an1}That current powers electric motors. 970 00:47:21,633 --> 00:47:24,066 {\an1}The byproduct is water. 971 00:47:24,100 --> 00:47:27,466 {\an1}Hydrogen has three times more energy density 972 00:47:27,500 --> 00:47:31,166 {\an1}than jet fuel and is the lightest molecule of all. 973 00:47:31,200 --> 00:47:34,066 {\an1}But at atmospheric temperature and pressure, 974 00:47:34,100 --> 00:47:37,666 {\an1}it's a gas, so it takes up a lot of volume. 975 00:47:37,700 --> 00:47:40,533 {\an1}And the energy can't flow out of the cell 976 00:47:40,566 --> 00:47:44,200 {\an7}as fast as it can from a fossil fuel engine or a battery, 977 00:47:44,233 --> 00:47:47,566 {\an7}so there's less power available for takeoff. 978 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:52,333 {\an1}But it offers much more range. 979 00:47:52,366 --> 00:47:56,966 KALLO: With the technology, using a fuel cell with hydrogen, 980 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:01,366 {\an1}from today's perspective, we can say that we can go 981 00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:04,866 {\an1}six times to eight times longer in range. 982 00:48:04,900 --> 00:48:07,333 ♪ 983 00:48:07,366 --> 00:48:11,333 O'BRIEN: Kallo and his team have been at it for 13 years. 984 00:48:11,366 --> 00:48:14,233 {\an1}This is his sixth generation aircraft. 985 00:48:14,266 --> 00:48:19,100 {\an1}It has batteries to provide enough power for takeoff. 986 00:48:20,666 --> 00:48:22,966 {\an1}In November of 2020, Kallo says 987 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:25,366 {\an1}they test flew it more than 30 times, 988 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:28,500 {\an1}validating a range of nearly 500 miles. 989 00:48:28,533 --> 00:48:32,266 KALLO: This will prepare the way forward 990 00:48:32,300 --> 00:48:35,733 to have much, much longer-range 991 00:48:35,766 --> 00:48:39,300 {\an1}hydrogen fuel cell, electric propulsion, 992 00:48:39,333 --> 00:48:41,600 {\an1}and then in that step, 993 00:48:41,633 --> 00:48:43,866 {\an1}we will have very efficient planes, 994 00:48:43,900 --> 00:48:46,700 a very efficient electric propulsion, 995 00:48:46,733 --> 00:48:49,566 {\an1}and also a very long range. 996 00:48:49,600 --> 00:48:53,266 So I would say, from an economic point of view, 997 00:48:53,300 --> 00:48:55,633 {\an1}80 to 100-seater with a range 998 00:48:55,666 --> 00:48:58,100 {\an1}of 3,500 kilometer is feasible. 999 00:48:58,133 --> 00:49:01,566 O'BRIEN: Almost half of all emissions from aviation 1000 00:49:01,600 --> 00:49:05,033 {\an1}come from flights of less than 2,000 kilometers, 1001 00:49:05,066 --> 00:49:07,433 or 1,200 miles. 1002 00:49:07,466 --> 00:49:10,566 {\an7}Hydrogen could make a big dent. 1003 00:49:10,600 --> 00:49:14,900 {\an8}KALLO: We are definitely in a revolution in the aviation. 1004 00:49:14,933 --> 00:49:18,600 {\an1}This is very exciting, very interesting times. 1005 00:49:18,633 --> 00:49:22,266 ♪ 1006 00:49:23,466 --> 00:49:26,433 O'BRIEN: They are times that demand action 1007 00:49:26,466 --> 00:49:29,900 to address the climate emergency. 1008 00:49:29,933 --> 00:49:33,766 {\an1}But this solution does not rely solely on altruism. 1009 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:37,566 {\an1}Electric aviation can rise on its own merits... 1010 00:49:37,600 --> 00:49:42,666 {\an1}because there is green in flying green. 1011 00:49:42,700 --> 00:49:44,900 NZEUKOU: Air travel will be more affordable, 1012 00:49:44,933 --> 00:49:47,633 {\an1}it will come from a ton more places. 1013 00:49:47,666 --> 00:49:49,700 {\an7}Electric aviation opens up the number of airports 1014 00:49:49,733 --> 00:49:51,809 {\an7}that we can actually operate commercial service out of. 1015 00:49:51,833 --> 00:49:55,166 {\an8}GINN: We know all the pieces that have to be put in place. 1016 00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:57,733 {\an7}It's just, how long does it take 1017 00:49:57,766 --> 00:49:59,900 {\an7}to prove the reliability of that piece, 1018 00:49:59,933 --> 00:50:03,433 {\an7}and then prove each of those pieces' reliability in a system. 1019 00:50:03,466 --> 00:50:05,333 That takes time. 1020 00:50:05,366 --> 00:50:07,166 {\an1}It's going to happen. 1021 00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:10,800 O'BRIEN: It's like Detroit in the early 1900s, 1022 00:50:10,833 --> 00:50:12,700 {\an1}inventors racing to define 1023 00:50:12,733 --> 00:50:15,900 {\an1}what the automobile would look like, 1024 00:50:15,933 --> 00:50:19,566 {\an1}a hothouse of innovation, that started and stayed 1025 00:50:19,600 --> 00:50:21,800 {\an1}in garages for years, 1026 00:50:21,833 --> 00:50:25,533 {\an1}and then seemed to change the world overnight. 1027 00:50:25,566 --> 00:50:28,866 {\an1}Those competing in the great electric airplane race 1028 00:50:28,900 --> 00:50:33,766 {\an1}are convinced a revolutionary moment like that is in the air. 1029 00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:37,933 ♪ 1030 00:50:40,433 --> 00:50:43,166 {\an1}Solar Impulse pioneer Andre Borschberg 1031 00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:46,733 is still chasing the dream in Switzerland. 1032 00:50:46,766 --> 00:50:50,166 {\an1}He has retrofitted a two-seat piston aircraft 1033 00:50:50,200 --> 00:50:52,666 {\an1}with an electric motor. 1034 00:50:52,700 --> 00:50:54,233 MAN: Runway 25 clear for takeoff. 1035 00:50:54,266 --> 00:50:57,966 BORSCHBERG: Okay, let's go for a nice circuit. 1036 00:50:58,000 --> 00:50:59,400 ♪ 1037 00:50:59,433 --> 00:51:03,633 O'BRIEN: The company he started is called H55. 1038 00:51:03,666 --> 00:51:06,766 BORSCHBERG: There is only one switch when you get into the cockpit here. 1039 00:51:06,800 --> 00:51:09,200 You know pilots, you like to be free. 1040 00:51:09,233 --> 00:51:13,433 {\an7}Here you get free from the need to use the fuel tank. 1041 00:51:13,466 --> 00:51:16,933 {\an1}All electric, no combustion, 1042 00:51:16,966 --> 00:51:19,100 {\an1}no CO2, no pollution. 1043 00:51:19,133 --> 00:51:21,666 {\an1}When you fly electric, you don't want to go back 1044 00:51:21,700 --> 00:51:23,366 {\an1}to combustion engine. 1045 00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:24,933 {\an1}It's so convincing that you say, 1046 00:51:24,966 --> 00:51:27,466 {\an1}"Now, I want to continue with this technology." 1047 00:51:27,500 --> 00:51:31,000 WEEKES: Electric motors are at a certain point today. 1048 00:51:31,033 --> 00:51:33,533 {\an1}The battery systems are at a certain point today. 1049 00:51:33,566 --> 00:51:35,766 {\an1}We're within that edge of possible where 1050 00:51:35,800 --> 00:51:38,400 {\an1}we think things will mature a lot quicker. 1051 00:51:38,433 --> 00:51:40,866 BORSCHBERG: You cannot do everything in one day. 1052 00:51:40,900 --> 00:51:44,300 {\an1}But if we don't start today, we will not be ready 1053 00:51:44,333 --> 00:51:46,700 in ten, 15 years to be totally clean. 1054 00:51:46,733 --> 00:51:49,933 ASANTE: It almost feels like there's some part of the future 1055 00:51:49,966 --> 00:51:52,433 {\an1}that we think about as, like, at some point in time, 1056 00:51:52,466 --> 00:51:55,533 {\an1}this is inevitable and now we're all just mapping out 1057 00:51:55,566 --> 00:51:57,666 the plan to try and to get there. 1058 00:51:57,700 --> 00:51:59,400 BORSCHBERG: It's fantastic, eh? 1059 00:51:59,433 --> 00:52:01,966 No vibration, 1060 00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:04,800 little noise... 1061 00:52:04,833 --> 00:52:06,933 {\an1}that's the future. 1062 00:52:06,966 --> 00:52:10,366 ♪ 1063 00:52:32,466 --> 00:52:38,400 ♪ 1064 00:52:43,566 --> 00:52:47,700 {\an8}ANNOUNCER: To order this program on DVD, visit ShopPBS 1065 00:52:47,733 --> 00:52:50,766 {\an7}or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 1066 00:52:50,800 --> 00:52:53,800 {\an7}Episodes of "NOVA" are available with Passport. 1067 00:52:53,833 --> 00:52:57,333 {\an7}"NOVA" is also available on Amazon Prime Video. 1068 00:52:57,366 --> 00:53:02,366 {\an8}♪