I can't wait for electric/hybrid aircraft.
Half of the threads here pertain to safety and high workload related issues connected to the antiquated way modern aircrafts are made and propelled.

Just below is a thread about a C152 engine quitting because of either a rich cut or carb ice, depending on who's answering. Not even injection engines are commonplace even though the offer more security. Cessnas new 162 Skycatcher? Carb - check.

Just imagine if the above aircraft were hybrids. Until the new nanowire batteries get powerful enough in the meantime a hybrid solution with a small turbine APU would recharge a LiPo battery (like they've had and broken all records with in the R/C world for the best part of 20 years now). The battery runs a brushless electrical motor with 90% efficiency compared to the 20% efficiency of the combustion engine. Just imagine all the benefits:

1. No carb ice.
2. No need for complicated constant speed props (as electrical motors have linear power output and no sweet spot).
3. No TBO - only limited by bearing life.
4. No CO poisoning.
5. No shock cooling.
6. No rich cut.
7. No degradation at altitude, no need for turbos etc.
8. Built in Fadec (brushless motors you set a RPM setting and it keeps it through the controller, no matter what).
9. No need to check oil.
10. Much less weight - 15Kw (21hp) R/C brushless weighs less than 2kg. That means that a O-200 replacement would weigh about 10kg. That leaves a lot of weight for a battery..
11. No dirt.
12. No vibrations.
13. No noise.
14. No leaning at altitude.

I want to enjoy flying and the view, not manage a steam driven 100 year old system just looking to screw me up.

I can't friggin' wait.

But the beautiful thing with a hybrid is that you could take off on battery power, climb to your cruise altitude and throttle back to economy cruise (which on an electric is probably well below 50%). Now you start the APU. This ensures that the APU will be running at a higher altitude and consume less fuel. And all it needs to power is the economy cruise. It will also reduce noise considerably for take off. As you descend you windmill and generate electricity to top batteries up a bit. And should you really need to get down fast, you just regen more and make the prop/fan work as a speed brake.

But sure, there are still obstacles to be overcome for a pure battery powered tourer. But they're closer than many think. Battery capacity has doubled in just 5 years.

I've researched this quite extensively and what's important is power density, i.e. Wh/Kg. Newest LiPo batteries (like the R/C guys use) deliver about 400Wh/kg today. That means you could run a motor at full power of 400W for one hour. Or to put it in perspective of a C152 - a 182kg battery pack could make you cruise at 100% for one hour. In reality, you would never use 100% all the time on electric motors, so the endurance would probably be closer to 2 hrs for that weight. Not that far off - remember, you'd save not only on the weight of the fuel and the engine and that's gotta be an easy 150kg alone.

Now, here's the interesting thing - nanowire batteries that have just been patented and are getting geared up for production have a potential power density of 4500Wh/kg. If they can deliver on that promise, then it's all over for the combustion engine. Bye bye. Gone.

Obviously cost is also a factor for batteries, and to keep them healthy no more than 1000 charges are recommended. At the price of batteries today that would be a large sum of money, probably the equivalent to a TBO overhaul of your Lycoming. But the nanowire promise has the added benefit of dramatically reducing the price as well.

It's closer than we think. I wouldn't want to be Rolls Royce, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Lycoming or Continental in 20 years time.