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This is a pretty low-performance electric airplane. Fairly efficient, from light sport aircraft standards, but really inefficient compared to where you could go
by Robotbeat 6y ago
This is a pretty low-performance electric airplane. Fairly efficient, from light sport aircraft standards, but really inefficient compared to where you could go if you want to push aerodynamic efficiency to its limits (ala high performance sailplanes).
The chemistry isn't terribly high-performance and neither is the battery weight fraction that high.
Once clean-sheet, ambitious designs like the Eviation Alice get off the ground, we'll see these kinds of records rapidly ripped up.
Even so, I'm glad someone is doing this. Stunts are a good way to show the current state of the art and focus engineers on obvious places for improvement.
- Tuxer 6y agoYeah agreed, even on the GA market, the eFlyer 2 is a much more aerodynamic design (low wing, wheel pants, lower windshield height) which is already claiming 36kW cruise at 100kts.
- Robotbeat 6y agoeFlyer 2 has a shorter wingspan, though, more like a traditional GA aircraft. Pipistrel's aircraft can actually soar in thermals it has such a long wingspan (I think). But yeah, I like the eFlyer and I'm looking forward to the 4 person one which you could theoretically use for passenger service.
- marvin 6y agoThat’s saying something about the future of electric air transport, though. Pipistrel is able to smash lots of records using designs that don’t even properly capitalize on the advantages and possibilities of electric propulsion. It’s both record setting and a bellwether. I love Pipistrel for their present-day achievements in electric flight :) Wouldn’t mind getting one of their self-launch electric gliders.