So why not use a gas-powered engine instead?
Electric Drones Lack Energy Density
Lithium-ion batteries are the most energy-dense commercial batteries in existence.
Yet, lithium-ion batteries have an energy density 100 times less than gasoline!
Quaternium
There are gas-powered drones that drive their rotors directly from their engine, using a complex drive system.
Most multirotor drones have fixed-pitch rotors.
Then we have theHybrix hybrid drone, which set a world record flight of 10h14m.
Paday/Shutterstock.com
This makes them less than ideal as consumer products.
The first commercial fuel cell drone was most like theHydrone 1800, released in 2016.
Flight times are steadily climbing towards that magic one-hour mark for consumer-grade drones.
Peter Sobolev/Shutterstock.com
Related:What Is a Graphene Battery, and How Will It Transform Tech?
Graphene batteries are now available for regular consumers to buy.
In early 2021, thefirst commercially-available graphene drone battery was announced.
