Airbus makes a pretty neat electric airplane 2 seater

[Ichingcarpenter]

?DA8EF

BERLIN—When a Panavia Tornado blasted into the clouds above the Berlin Air Show before swooping back down toward the Earth, the grounds below shook from the roar of the fighter bomber's twin engines.

When the next aircraft took to the sky, the air show went eerily quiet.

The fully electric E-Fan aircraft, engineered by Airbus Group, made one of its first public demonstrations here last week following it's first-ever flight in France on March 11.

The novel two-seater aircraft was designed from the outset for electrical propulsion, from its energy management system to safety features. In developing this technology, Airbus aims to one day reduce the aerospace industry's carbon dioxide emissions by an order of magnitude.

"It's a very different way of flying," said Jean Botti, chief technical and innovation officer at Airbus Group, "absolutely no noise, no emissions."

A series of lithium-ion batteries fitted into the wings of the plane are the sole power source for the E-Fan's two 30-kilowatt electric motors. A 6 kW electric motor in the main wheel provides extra power during acceleration and taxiing to reduce electrical power consumption on the ground.


http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/impossible-electric-airplane-takes-flight/

[defacto7]

1. Love it.

In the 70's I was set on building a Quickie. Simple canard wing one or two seat. $9000 , you build it and you have one hot plain. Cruse 155mph, top 185. Burned 1 gal an hour (I think). Pow on stall ? 120?, power off stall 100??. Never did it though. An old dream never visited. Ended up flying Cessna 165 -185.

This one is a dream... especially the electric power. Damn I wish I were young and rich again.