The latest generation of electric powertrain technology is leading toward some very exciting developments in the aviation world, from VTOL air taxis to potential flying car designs. But the airline industry is still roughly as slow, and noisy, and expensive, and inefficient and dirty as it has been for the last 40 years – and we haven't seen much from the electric world yet to challenge it.

The trouble isn't the motors – electric motors should be extremely effective in the air, since they work well at low-drag high altitudes, where the air is thin enough to cause problems for combustion engines.

The main problem, as everyone knows, is batteries – getting enough energy into a light enough package to deliver a useful range. And that's where wild-man EV battery pack guru Luke Workman figures he's got a solution.