Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> Buoyant has built and flown four prototype airships. The most recent sub-scale ship that went to air is 20 feet long, with airspeeds of up to 35 miles per hour and a payload capacity of 10 pounds, but the ultimate aim is to build an airship that’s capable of delivering up to 650 pounds of cargo at a cruise speed of around 60 miles per hour.

For depot to depot delivery, how does that compare with an 18 wheeler truck with 30,000 lbs carrying capacity going down the road at 60 miles per hour?



The current design is made to compete with small cargo planes to remote small landlocked cities like many in Alaska with no roads.

To be able to compete with trucks they would need a significantly bigger airship as efficiency scales with size.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: