Spurred on by climate change concerns and the inevitability of a post-oil era, the search for alternative sources of power has been in full swing for the last couple of decades. While electric cars and hybrid vehicles are already a reality, the change in air travel is much slower. Both industry giants like Airbus and Boeing, as well as startups like Eviation and Wright Electric, are in the race to become the first commercial producers of electric planes. We take a look at some of the zero-carbon aircrafts we could be boarding soon.

Founded in 2016 by a team of aerospace engineers, powertrain experts, and battery chemists, Wright Electric has already built a two-seater prototype and plans to develop a full-sized electric plane within the next decade. Going electric could mean a 50% noise reduction, making the flying experience more comfortable. It could also slash around 10% of the maintenance and operational costs for airlines, meaning cheaper tickets for the passengers.

According to Wright Electric, who have partnered with easyJet, passengers could be flying between London and Amsterdam in battery-powered planes within the next 20 years. Their project is to create an airliner with 120-186 seats that would cover busy short-haul routes of up to 335 miles (539 kilometres) – almost the distance from London to Paris.

When it comes to designing a zero-carbon aircraft, the weight of the batteries and cooling equipment needed for a fully electric plane are two extremely limiting factors. That’s why aircraft manufacturer Airbus teamed up with Siemens and Rolls-Royce in late 2017 in a bid to produce a hybrid plane with three jet engines and one electric engine by 2020.

They believe that fully electric planes are still out of reach, even with current technologies, so instead the three companies are investing millions of pounds into creating a hybrid aircraft. The E-Fan programme began in 2012 and one of its earlier versions, the E-Fan 1.1 managed to cross the English Channel in 2015.

Another Airbus-funded project comes from their Silicon Valley partners A3. It’s an unmanned electrical aircraft designed for moving passengers or small cargo within city limits. Known as the ‘flying car’, Vahana claims to be “the next technological breakthrough in urban air mobility”.

This electric aircraft can reach up to four times the average speed of cars and has a flight-range of about 50 miles (80 kilometres). In November 2017, the team behind Vahana announced that they are ready to begin flight testing and are expecting to have a production-ready version by 2020.

Of all the Airbus-funded projects, you can expect to see this one flying commercially very soon. CityAirbus, or so-called ‘flying taxi’, could take to the sky as soon as the end of 2018, after the successful ground tests conducted last year. The first unmanned flight tests are planned later this year, while manned tests will follow in 2019.

This electric self-piloted helicopter is designed to carry up to four passengers over congested cities in a fast, affordable and environmentally friendly way. It has a cruising speed of 75 mph (120 km/h) and currently has enough battery power to fly for 15 minutes. If all tests are passed according to the current schedule, CityAirbus scheme will be rolled out for commercial use in 2023.

Eviation Alice is an all-electric aircraft designed by Israeli startup Eviation Aircraft. The company is manufacturing the first prototype of the nine-passenger business and commuter aircraft. They plan to run a test flight in the US later this year, with European certification coming in 2020.

Another all-electric aircraft by Eviation is the unmanned Orca. Under 10 feet (3 metres) in length, its low maintenance and operational costs, and its maximum take-off weight of 683 pounds (310 kilograms), means it could be used as an efficient small cargo carrier for fast shipping.

This Slovenian company currently offers the widest range of advanced light aircraft in the world, including the Alpha Electro. This two-seat electric trainer, developed for flight schools, is already in production and the first customers were able to take it for a spin in early 2018. On 2 January it took off from Perth’s Jandakot Airport and conducted two circuits around it before flying another seven hours within two days. It’s on sale for a whopping £72,000.

Another aircraft in Pipistrel’s fleet includes the Surveyor, designed for infrared and classic aerial video and photography, 3D terrain mapping, surveillance and sea and border patrol, and the new Panthera (pictured). Panthera has been designed in three different variants – conventional, hybrid and fully electric – and has the ability to land on both hard and unpaved runways. It can have four people, including the pilot, on board and is currently under rigorous flight testing.

Named after the Mayan term for hummingbird, Zunum Aero is a Washington-based company backed by aircraft manufacturer Boeing and American low-cost carrier jetBlue. The company has been working on developing a six to 12 seat hybrid short-haul aircraft that can cover more than 700 miles (1,100 kilometres) in one flight. That's the distance between New York City and Chicago.

According to the company’s estimates, the maintenance cost of the aircraft will be just £0.06 per seat mile, meaning a flight from New York to Boston could cost as little as £50 instead of the current average of £129.

Although NASA are working on an electric plane prototype too, it’s not for commercial use. The X-57 is purely for research purposes and to demonstrate the benefits of electric planes, like noise, pollution and fuel use reduction. Pilots have already been flying the aircraft in simulators to test maneuverability and reaction times. Once the work on X-57 is finished, NASA plans to develop up to five larger transport-scale X-planes.