aviast
Well-Known Member
Hi,
I was surprised to see that a search for "electric motor" on HBA produces less than one page of results. It's a topic that I've been thinking about for a while, which usually means that someone smarter and with more money has though about it before me... and done something about it. There's been some application of electric motors in the ultralight arena and for launching/sustaining sailplanes, and the media usually latches on to press releases by Boeing and Airbus about future electric airliners, but I haven't seen much in the traditional homebuilder's weight/performance class. (The notable exception is Sonex e-flight which appears to have stagnated around 2010.)
Siemens made headlines in 2015 when they announced a 260 kW (~350hp) motor for aircraft, which has been used in an Extra 330 for setting world time-to-climb records. At that time I thought "what we really need, to get a bit of innovation, is a motor in the homebuilders sweet-spot: 80hp (60 kW)". OK, 80hp was the sweet spot before Rotax released the 100hp 912 ULS in 1999, but it is still a good target to come up with some decent single- and two-seaters. Sonex Aircraft appears to think the same thing.
There are several options in the right power range for homebuilders:
So... is anyone else thinking about this? Is everyone just patiently waiting for battery performance to improve? Or is avgas still cheap enough that electric is still just a novelty?
I was surprised to see that a search for "electric motor" on HBA produces less than one page of results. It's a topic that I've been thinking about for a while, which usually means that someone smarter and with more money has though about it before me... and done something about it. There's been some application of electric motors in the ultralight arena and for launching/sustaining sailplanes, and the media usually latches on to press releases by Boeing and Airbus about future electric airliners, but I haven't seen much in the traditional homebuilder's weight/performance class. (The notable exception is Sonex e-flight which appears to have stagnated around 2010.)
Siemens made headlines in 2015 when they announced a 260 kW (~350hp) motor for aircraft, which has been used in an Extra 330 for setting world time-to-climb records. At that time I thought "what we really need, to get a bit of innovation, is a motor in the homebuilders sweet-spot: 80hp (60 kW)". OK, 80hp was the sweet spot before Rotax released the 100hp 912 ULS in 1999, but it is still a good target to come up with some decent single- and two-seaters. Sonex Aircraft appears to think the same thing.
There are several options in the right power range for homebuilders:
- Siemens and Pipistrel collaborated on on the WATTsUP which became the Pipistrel Alpha Electro. It has a 50 kW (67hp) motor with 60 minute endurance.
- YASA Motors has a patented system which, according the blurb on the website, sounds pretty-much perfect. Their 750 R motor has a continuous output of 70 kW (94hp) at speeds up to 3250rpm.
- Lange Aviation powers its Antares 20E motorglider with a 42 kW (56hp) motor.
- Other sailplanes, such as the Alisport Silent 2 Electro, are using the front electric sustainer (FES) system although this is lower-powered (22 kW / 30hp).
So... is anyone else thinking about this? Is everyone just patiently waiting for battery performance to improve? Or is avgas still cheap enough that electric is still just a novelty?
