Battery-Powered Plane Makes Its Debut (PHOTOS)

Wired reports on the debut of battery-powered plane:

The plane, which received its airworthiness certificate in April, features a 5.6 kWh lithium battery with a projected life cycle (the number of times it can be depleted and recharged) of 1,000 cycles. The battery has a max weight of 78 pounds and can be custom-built to fit the available space in an airplane. It provides juice for a motor driving a 45-inch superlight PowerFin propeller made of a foam core surrounded by an outer shell of carbon fiber and glass fabric.

Once in the air, the ElectraFlyer C cruises at 70 miles per hour. Top speed is 90 mph and the stall speed is 45. The plane can fly for 90 to 120 minutes before the battery needs recharging. When the battery winds down, just plug it into a 110V outlet -- your house is full of them -- and you're good to go in just more than six hours. Bump the voltage to 220 and you're flying again in two hours.

Scroll down for photos (from the Electric Aircraft Corporation).

Visit Wired for more details and many more photos.

Comments

[research]

You can buy the Trike version for just 19,000$

http://www.electraflyer.com/prices.html

[OldKnute]

Oh,, I forgot,,, What exactly have we Designed?

OK lets assemble the parts.

Umm? Twin ElectricTurbine, (External Stator, Permanent pole DC Motors, Magnets in the turbine Carbon Fiber and polymer, vain tips, capasitance pulled electro magnets in the turbine shrouding),,, seating for 6,,,, wide,,, LIFT BODY, Regenerative Charging,, Solar powered,,,, Hydroxy Electrical storage as a gas, Water Fuel,, SOURCED from the air it flies in,, Battery Backup, (In the wing struts),, Delta Wing,, Twin Tail,,, T-Tail,,, with elevators at the cross of the tails,, (More surface for Solar Films) Retractable landing gear Tricycle and nose wheel, Aluminum core Airframe with Carbon Fiber Polymer skin,,,, Pressurized, Kevlar/Carbon Cockpit,, fully instrumented,, Auto Pilot,,, Ejection Cabin,, the whole cabin Ejects,,,,,, Hydrodynamic under-belly fuselage for water landings.

Oh,,,,, I almost forgot, ballasted down, it will fly under water,,,, in a pinch.

Not bad all!!!!!!!

Thank you ALLLLLL!!!!!

It"s been fun.

All the best

Knute Neo-Hilton < ------------- Pant Suits not included.

[OldKnute]

OK, what have we so far????

Polinut says Turbines.
Philm35 adds Dynamis Breaking Regenerative charging.
Cam sees the ease of Co-generative Energy Production.
JonasH, points us to previous successes.
Dobberdos, supports the Solar Film plan, with some caution.
Mammacat, looks on with enthusiasm and hopefulness.
Titonwan, gets aboard and dreams of his own someday.
Dadw5boys, is in too, solar advocate.
Dap, shows us that the Solar Challenger worked, see link.
LazywhiteAmerican, educates us all to new advances in Solar Films. Link Added.
Willsterling, helps us along, encouragement and references to earlier successes.
Bigo725, adds the fuel cell concept, developed first in 1849.
Killthemessenger, confirms that scale models like this, have been around for years.
Carlyshitson, contributes information of the practicalities of flight from experience.
LOCUTUS13, thinks it would be great if the price is right, a perfect solution.
Mouselion, ROARS,, First Step, Clean Energy, Like write Brothers,,, others will follow.

Sooooooo????

Wait!!!!!!

Yeeeeeeeee!


Design by Committee is not only possible, it only took around 20 hours. All points of view heard ad respected.

Yeeeeeee, I think we have done very well.

Good Work all.

All the best

Knute Neo-Hilton < ------- Pant Suits not included.

[Scott1560]

And let me add.........Years & years of design and experimentation by thousands of electric, radio control hobbyists, the development of the LiPo battery and Bob Boucher's endeavors (Astro Flight). Kudos to the years of competitions he has sponsored, especially "Payload." Trying to lift oaver 20lbs of lead in a little electric model took some serious effort.

And even though you may have a great battery design w/a great discharge rate, think about the difficulties in developing chargers that will quickly & safely bring the cells back up to capacity. Bob had much to do w/that, especially when all we had was NiCads (LiPos are still dangerous so a few more years of R&D are needed.)

And speaking of all this, gotta go.............Takin' my electric heli out for a little fun.

[OldKnute]

Oh Yes, Scott,

I agree with you 100% The RC Toy industry has brought out thousands of advancements in the lift/thrust/drag/weight/power equation.

The first time I studied the Ram-Air Electric Turbine it was from a Model Plane, late 1950s from Japan.

Lighter than Air, (Dirigible) battery operated flight was a toy Flying Saucer I parched in 1962?. Not much more than the Saucer Shape, Helium balloon and battery powered motor. Would lift quite a bit though and just hover silently. Would make a wonderful Forward Observation Vehicle though,, can hover silently,, and needs no power to stay aloft. Just a tiny amount of power to resist breezes. Lots of surface area for Solar Films.

But then again,,, look at computers for example.

90% of the Speed and Graphics capability has come about, driven by the Gaming Industry.

15 years, as soon as a new game came out, I had to buy my kids a new computer, or at a minimum, install a high-speed Graphics Accelerator.

The Toy industry are where these advance LIVE,, because progress there depends on solely , DOES IT WORK.

Oh as far as the HUFF-PO Committee Electric Design above.

Place the Ram-Air Elect Turbines in the Tails. About, half-way up.

Like the A-10 Warthog, but in the tail structure.

But yes,, No Geo-Political restrictions in the Toy Industry.

Make it GO,,, and people will buy.

All the best

Knute Neo-LIB

[WASanford]

I know this is only a beginning, but this plane lacks useful range. At the best in light and vairable winds, ti will take you a whole 140 miles. A turkey can fly further than that. And once you get there, there'd better be an electrical socket, or else you're stuck. Wings are an opportunity to use photo cells. They could possibly extend the range by perhaps 30% giving the pilot another 42 miles or so.

I would have wanted a nav-com installed. There's no way I would want to get lost in this airplane and have to look for place to make an emergency landing with so little range. Also there's no indicatation of what its service ceiling might be and there might not be enough time for the pilot to find a place to land.

This is a neat aircraft though, the craftmanship looks exquisite. Flying around the traffic pattern and doing touch and gos in it would be a kick!

[mommamia526]

I am NOT going to comment on this exciting news for one reason: I was always doing very well in physics class until it came time for the *practicum*. Had NO IDEA what was what and which was which. However, I know that a Chinese, at least one, had an exciting invention some years ago of an electric car with six wheels, motor in the wheels. Problems were,at the time, mass production and the right battery. So, this plane sounds like great news to me. All those in automotive tradeschools better bone up on electricity and solar now too.

The real reason for my comment is this. Boone Pickens has a *new* PickensPlan. It is not so new, as China already has had such a plan in operation, but, get this the Mei Golan Wind Energy Development Company in Israel built Israel's first wind farm 16 years ago, and this company has just been given the go ahead to build another one in Israel, a $ 500,000,000 wind farm.

And all the while we are all debating whether or not we should drill here, or there, with Paris Hilton no less, and what Energy Plan we could possibly come up with.

[POLINUT]

Say, why not put some air scoops and a turbine on it and let it recharge the batteries in flight? It should at least get better range.

[BCubedReg]

Good engineering idea.

[AmandaBC]

I'm no engineer but I think it would never work. A wind turbine that produces enough energy to be viable would be way too heavy and, in turn, exponentially increase the power needed for the craft to fly.

[LOCUTUS13]

The air scoops and turbine would create drag.

[Philm35]

It's actually an interesting idea. If the scoops were retractable during climb and cruise, they wouldn't create drag during flight phases where drag is undesirable. They could be deployed during descents to charge the battery when the additional drag would not be a factor. Similar to the principle of regenerative braking used on hybrid cars.

[OldKnute]

Now your thinking Polinut!!!

Yeeeeeee!

But lets do the generating of electricity using Solar Films.

Your idea is fantastic nonetheless. A Ram-Air, electric driven turbines. TWO of them, formed and integrated into the fuselage.

The laminar flow of a shielded turbine tunnel increases trust tremendously over a,,, free-air prop. Basically, a Free-Air prop throws half of the air away,,, driven outwards. The Tunnel Ram-Air Turbine captures this waste energy, and converts it directly to thrust. Like 400%.

A turbine does NOT CARE if it is spun electrically OR by a fuels combustions. With electric drive turbines, you loose about 80% of the weight of a normal fuel Turbine. Most of the mass is in the compressor section and in the combustion zones. All that is tossed out, with electric driven Turbines.

No Prop Wash at the wings,, No vortex-ing of blades, NO wasted thrust, all meat and few potatoes, all power and a hugely reduced drag. Smoother profile.

Yahooooo!!!

Silent operation TOO!

YEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

You GO Polinut,, YOU GO!

Yeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

All the best

Knute Neo-Hilton < ----- Pants Suit not included.

[OldKnute]

OH and POLINUT,,, one other thing!!!!

Electrically driven turbines work just as well under water, as they do in AIR. Slower Yes,,, But they work.

Gawd I could just hug you,,

Go Polinut GO!!!!!!!!

All the best

Knute Neo-Hilton < Pant Suits not included.

[johnie2xs]

I'm no engineer, but I think all you would be doing is adding more weight, drag, and inefficient return for the effort.

[JonasH]

Not the first solar-powered plane. Let's hope it stays away from clouds, and never ever takes off just before nightfall...

[dobberdoss]

i love it!, the solar panel on the wings thing is not a complete dream, even amorphous cells (very light without the glass casing which are already sold for marine environments) would do the job for atleast slowing down the drain rate on the battery, but you would only get another 5mins flying time so the investment would not add up(depending on surface area). Your better off adding another battery really. the weight of another battery would be more than compensated by doubling the power/energy reserve.

[LOCUTUS13]

More batteries=greater weight.
Greater weight requires more wing area.
More wing area=greater drag.
More drag requires greater thrust.
Greater thrust=larger engine.
Larger engine(electric motor) requires more energy.
More energy=larger batteries.

An airplane design is a delicate balance of competing engineering problems.

[OldKnute]

Oh Paaaleeeese! LOCUTUS13

Sorry, but with you in charge, the Write Flyer would have been a catchy name for a Bicycle.

Look, this has been done, we are just working on the refinements. NASA has a Hydroxy powered plane that flies,,, three times,,, the speed of sound,, ALL ON WATER.

>>More batteries=Greater Weight.
Aww Dustbunnies,,, Store your electricity as a Gas.

>>Greater weight requires more wing area.
Oh Lollypop,,, See: The Delta Wing!!!! 400% more area. In fact, I would suggest a,,, Lift Body,,, fuselage. More room for electrical storage,,, as a GAS!

>>More wing area=greater drag.
Oh Troglodyte,,,, Delta Wing, 300% less drag.

>>More drag requires greater thrust.
Pfuh??? Tigersbreath,,, See; two above two responses.

>>Greater thrust=larger engine.
BINGO,,, I suggest TWO. Electric Motors.


>>Larger engine (electric motor) requires more energy.
Yeeeeeeeee!!!!! YES,, all the energy you require, stored as a GAS, Solar generated from the surrounding moisture in the air,,,,, Water Fuel,, FOR FREE. Hydroxy Gas.

>>More energy=larger batteries.
Ahhh Drainfuzz,, I had such hope for you. LOOK, No batteries, store your electricity as a GAS.

>>An airplane design is a delicate balance of competing engineering problems.

No DUH,,, and,,,, Batteries NOT INCLUDED. See above.

OR,,,, Youtube, Hydroxy, Water Fuel, Green Gas, Water Gas, HHO Gas. Store your electricity as a gas.

All the best

Knute Neo-Hilton < -----Pant Suits not included.

[mamacat]

It will be interesting to see where this technology takes us in a few more years.

[homas]

I run my Prius on 40 lbs. PSI. Have done so for 4 years - no blown tires.

No air lobby - No bribes - No Republican support.

[rcpmac]

"Prius on 40 lbs"
. Many vehicles require tire pressures at and above that range. My eurovan for one specs 44 lbs. No big deal as long as you are running tires rated for that pressure. If not, leave the kids home and have adult passengers sign a consent form. BTW if your insurance agent reads this forum you have been canceled.

[Dap]

I'd rether have my 1949 Aeronca Chief back, if I had to choose between the two.

[Titonwan]

WAAAAAAAhhh! I want one! :)

[cjohnathan]

Me too!

[OldKnute]

MEEE TOOOOO!!!

I wana go HOME!!!!!

Not that you Guys are not totally cool. And I mean Killthemessenger, LOCUTUS and Titonwan TOO. Without you guys, this discussion would have been dead on arrival.

I just want to encourage you guys, that"s all.

Thank you

All the best

Knute Neo-Hilton < ---- Pant Suits not included.

[dadw5boys]

no solar panels on the wings or body to recharge as you fly?

[Titonwan]

No solar panels on earth meet that critical mass vs power you need to keep this to a practical weight. Sorry, no cigar. I'm sure we'll be able to get panels light enough one day, just not TOday.

[lazywhiteamerican]

Actually I think there may be good news for you on the solar panel front.

Check out this site:

http://www.nanosolar.com

That stuff just looks like it is pretty much a couple of layers of milar.

A clever design might even be able to make the Milar stuff a part of the wing structure.

That is not to say that covering the plane with it would necessarily generate enough power to keep the plane up without the battery but it could may provide a significant assist while the plane was in the air and be the source of power for recharging the battery while the plane was on the ground.

For that matter you could make cars the same way, though obviously cars will not have as much surface area available for the solar material.

[OldKnute]

Oh Titonwan,

Hello!!! You fill the wings and voids in the fuselage with Hydroxy, electricity stored as a gas. You lighten the craft by 50% Less Weight,,, means less demand for LIFT,, thus less drag coefficients. These batteries then become an augmentation of flight, not the main source of thrust. Lithium-Ion batteries in the tubular wing spars and it is all solar splitting of water.

Hydroxy is,,, Implosive not Explosive. Electricity stored as a gas.

The surface area of the Delta-Wing designs I mentioned, are 4 times the surface area of a conventional wing and slip through the air like silk.

Before you come in trouncing around like a TROLL Neigh-Sayer, do the research, do the MATH!

And if you don"t know what the hell I am talking about,,, SEE ABOVE!

Kindly,,, please do the research,, the WORLD is FLAT, thing,, is getting old. Please!!!!

Thank you!

Huggers

All the best

Knute Neo-HILTON < ----- Pant Suits not included.

[OldKnute]

Yes indeed!

And why not a pusher with two props and two motors. Reduced wing vortex-ing from prop wash.

Hello!!!!!


And the rock-hard avionics of the B-58 Hustler,,, Or MIG 16 or MIG 29, delta-wing to add,,,, lift,,, and even more area for Solar Cells?

Or a configuration like the BD-5 or BD-5-J.

Well,,, it is a start!

All the best

Knute Neo-LIB

[mamacat]

NASA has remotely controlled, high-altitude aircraft with solar cells that they have been flying for years.

[Dap]

The Solar Challenger
Set altitude record of 14,300 feet. More spectacularly, on July 7, 1981
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-054-DFRC.html

[rcpmac]

What's the payload? That's the point.

[willsterling]

Cars were first thought of as "toys for rich people".

The cool thing is that someone is working on this problem. Just the fact you can make a battery powered airplane... may convince others to improve on the design. Some day we might have large, speedy, powerful air transportation that can be powered by renewable sources.

[Big0725]

How about this airplane with a fuel cell?

[MeanGreenMachine]

hydrogen is a pipe dream.

[AmandaBC]

How do you produce the hydrogen for the fuel cell? Pretty much the same way you produce gasoline, by burning fossil fuel. That's why it's no alternative for the future...

[LOCUTUS13]

Boeing is already testing one in France.

[AmandaBC]

"Cars were first thought of as "toys for rich people"."

OTOH, in the 1950s everybody thought by the year 2000 people would travel in their personal car/airplane hybrids and manned interplanetary flights would be routine, not to mention computer would actually think (2001, A Space Odissey)

[KillTheMessenger]

Add the technology to a sail plane and you can fly for days at a time. Not because of the batteries but because the sailplane can fly for days at a time under the right circumstances.

And, yes, I do have a model version of this at home. Electric models are available for ... I don't know how long. Seems like forever. And they are about equally useful as this one. They are just for fun.

And having said all of that, the truly useful electric plane exists. It's a solar recharged high altitude plane that can replace certain communications satellite functions. Nasa has been demonstrating that technology years ago and one can only hope that it will find a commercial application.