Electric aircraft on the horizon ???

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Good idea and the things they will learn can only help in other areas around the country ....industry, homes,autos,etc...fishing boats would be nice, no more loud engines,,,lol.
 
You can't beat fuel for energy density, and gravametric density is everything for a plane.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
You can't beat fuel for energy density, and gravimetric density is everything for a plane.


^+1, exactly

I get it from my Tesla co-founder waste truck that GTs and hybrids work in a 40' drag race/stop race between bins, but not sure about regeneration in an aircraft.
 
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
Good idea and the things they will learn can only help in other areas around the country ....industry, homes,autos,etc...fishing boats would be nice, no more loud engines,,,lol.

A pontoon boat with solar panels on the canopy is a no brainer. I have no idea why it hasn't happened yet.
 
I notice the article did not say how long the aircraft flew on one charge - that is the real question and a hybrid might work. We're looking at propellers here, which means short range hauls - for long range transport IMO the technology is not there to match a jet. It could be in our lifetimes, we will see.
 
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Originally Posted By: whip
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
Good idea and the things they will learn can only help in other areas around the country ....industry, homes,autos,etc...fishing boats would be nice, no more loud engines,,,lol.

A pontoon boat with solar panels on the canopy is a no brainer. I have no idea why it hasn't happened yet.


Oddly enough I'm working on a hybrid cat design that is trailerable. I'm going to base the first version on a light weight cat with the boom removed. That would allow for a large awning of adjustable solar panels feeding a row of batteries on either side. Backup power would be 2 small diesel generators and the combination would feed 2 small electric outboards. So a failure would only effect one side.
For downwind or beam to conditions, the existing furlable headsail would be used.

The design would be aimed at replacing small single hull fishing boats that use just one outboard with no back up engine.
 
Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
Originally Posted By: whip
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
Good idea and the things they will learn can only help in other areas around the country ....industry, homes,autos,etc...fishing boats would be nice, no more loud engines,,,lol.

A pontoon boat with solar panels on the canopy is a no brainer. I have no idea why it hasn't happened yet.


Oddly enough I'm working on a hybrid cat design that is trailerable. I'm going to base the first version on a light weight cat with the boom removed. That would allow for a large awning of adjustable solar panels feeding a row of batteries on either side. Backup power would be 2 small diesel generators and the combination would feed 2 small electric outboards. So a failure would only effect one side.
For downwind or beam to conditions, the existing furlable headsail would be used.

The design would be aimed at replacing small single hull fishing boats that use just one outboard with no back up engine.

That's neat, what kind of speeds and range are you aiming for?
 
Well, Siemens builds about as many aircraft as I do.
They produce exactly as many aircraft powerplants as well.
When a known airframe or engine builder presents such a concept, it'll be time to take heed.
Meanwhile, this idea is not ready for prime time or even serious discussion.
This isn't to say that it'll never happen, only that it won't happen in my lifetime and maybe not my offsprings' either.
 
You're right, of course.
Siemens is a serious engineering company with a long history.
Can you make something with an electric motor and batteries fly?
Sure, it's been done.
Can you make even a useable sport aircraft with this power arrangement?
Not now.
The problem is with the low power density of the batteries. The best now available aren't very good and no aircraft can carry the dead weight of a large battery pack easily, like a Tesla can.
I'm also wondering just how a hybrid turbine might work, since propellers are becoming a thing of the past for even small short-haul transports and those that remain are all turboprops, except for a handful of piston twins like the C402s used by Cape Air.
Not saying that this can't and won't be done. Just saying that practical applications are a long way off.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Can you make something with an electric motor and batteries fly?
Sure, it's been done.
Can you make even a useable sport aircraft with this power arrangement?
Not now.
The problem is with the low power density of the batteries. The best now available aren't very good and no aircraft can carry the dead weight of a large battery pack easily, like a Tesla can.
I'm also wondering just how a hybrid turbine might work, since propellers are becoming a thing of the past for even small short-haul transports and those that remain are all turboprops, except for a handful of piston twins like the C402s used by Cape Air.
Not saying that this can't and won't be done. Just saying that practical applications are a long way off.


That's why I posted...I can see a plane, and it clearly can fly.

But I'm stuck with the "what can you do with it" practically and Commercially.

I think Bruce Dickinson's Airships make more sense in a comeback, than electric planes have as a useful future.

But, accused of rejecting newness, I'm happy to be wrong.
 
There will probably be some future electric aircraft flying around a GA airport near you, but it won't be anytime soon and I doubt that I'll live to see it.
Maybe a fuel cell electric?
Unless there is a real breakthrough in battery technology, which is very possible although I can't imagine the chemistry, batteries are just too heavy and too bulky for practical aircraft, just as they were for practical pocket computer/communication devices not so long ago.
We all wander around these days with devices that can keep us connected all of the time just about anywhere, for good or for ill. This has only been possible as a result of better batteries, since a need to be plugged in to main power everywhere all of the time would negate the value of these devices.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Unless there is a lot of stop and go traffic in the air, hybrid will not make much sense.


So true. In fact, most people don't really understand that the energy used in climb, is recovered in descent. There is a bit of similarity between regenerative braking and descent.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Unless there is a lot of stop and go traffic in the air, hybrid will not make much sense.


So true. In fact, most people don't really understand that the energy used in climb, is recovered in descent. There is a bit of similarity between regenerative braking and descent.
There has been regenerative braking for decades on the electric forklifts and they still would have to have the batteries switched out between shift changes at the high use operations. The battery is sized to last 6 hours of use which is an 8 hour shift.
 
Nothing can currently match the efficiency and power produced by a gas turbine engine, however airliners are getting more electric in other ways. The 787 for example almost completely does away with bleeds and hydraulics, which save a substantial amount of fuel.

Also it takes many years to develop a viable airframe, longer if new technology is being used. This new tech still needs to be invented. If you're in your 30s or younger, you MAY see a transport aircraft with an alternative type of propulsion.
 
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