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Comment on Unpowered cargo gliders on tow ropes promise 65% cheaper air freightparent

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If you double the speed, the air resistance gets quadrupled. Power output needed for constant speed travel is octupled (P=Fv). Now you need a higher-power motor and more expensive batteries that can sustain this kind of power output. The typical electric vehicle available today can't sustain a speed of 100 mph without thermal throttling kicking in.

Sure making the electric motor more powerful isn't that big of a problem: just look at electric trains. But making the batteries more powerful will require significant more research.

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