Re: Catapult takeoff?
Getting off the ground is one thing, the climb to altitude is another. Let's take an ERJ 135 (PDF) which carries 37 passengers as a comparable example. For simplicity, let's assume it's at max takeoff weight, 20 tonnes, and the altitude we want is 10 km. The potential energy we need to put in is:
PE = m·g·h = 1e4 m · 9.8 m/s^2 · 2e4 kg = 1.96e9 J = about 3.5 to 4 tonnes of battery.
Notice that the max usable fuel from the PDF is a tick over 4 tonnes for the ER and a similar tick over 5 tonnes for the LR model. Also note the battery didn't get you off the ground, it didn't get you up to speed, it doesn't maintain 0.75 mach, it doesn't move the jet 2,400 km (ER) to 3,200 km (LR), and it leaves no reserve to come back down. It'll be a short hop indeed.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
