If he doesn't have a big budget, he's better off sticking with nitro. Park flyers are the only "inexpensive" electrics. When you get to the .40+ size planes, the power systems, batteries, and chargers get pretty expensive compared to nitro. Also, purpose built electric plane are often built much lighter than nitro/gas planes of the same size, since they don't have to withstand the vibration of a nitro engine.