>Liquid fueled planes get lighter and more efficient as they fly, a battery plane starts with a much larger and heavier fuel load and carries it the whole trip
I saw a concept once that had the plane drop the big battery after takeoff (maybe after reaching cruising altitude too) and let the battery fly back to the airport autonomously. Then it doesn't have to carry that dead weight for the entire trip.
But, just like the promise of extended range batteries you could tow behind your EV for long trips, it's probably not real-world feasible.
I saw a concept once that had the plane drop the big battery after takeoff (maybe after reaching cruising altitude too) and let the battery fly back to the airport autonomously. Then it doesn't have to carry that dead weight for the entire trip.
But, just like the promise of extended range batteries you could tow behind your EV for long trips, it's probably not real-world feasible.