Airbus announced this week that it has successfully test flown a prototype electric aircraft called the E-Fan and the company says it's bullish on building an electric-powered airliner for the regional market, possibly with a hybrid drive. The E-Fan is a composite, tandem two-seater with a pair of ducted fans on the tail driven by individual electric motors. Its lithium polymer batteries are housed in the wings where fuel would normally be in a light aircraft. The company released this video of the E-Fan's first flight.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/airbus-announces-electric-aircraft