Electric planes sound like a fantasy but they may be the future for short-haul in Australia

With net zero technologies for long-haul flights still far in the future, opportunities may lie with smaller operatorsFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesSign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundupIn late September the first fixed-wing passenger electric passenger aircraft took off from Grant County international airport in the US state of Washington. The nine-seater charter plane - known as Alice - soared to 1,000 metres (3,500 feet) for eight minutes.Less than two months later Northern Territory Air Services, a scheduled airline and charter operator, put in an order to bring 20 of the aircraft to Australia with plans to fly passengers from Darwin to Uluru and Mount Isa. Continue reading...