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  1. B

    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    Not exactly sure what I'm looking at, other than a short clip and vague description of an engine. Can you elaborate?
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    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    72% thermal efficiency is not hard if you don't care about price or weight. There are powerplants today running close to 80%. Making into an affordable package that can fit into an aircraft, that's a whole nother story. Most of the wasted energy comes in the form of heat, and so many heat...
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    Carbon Fiber / Aluminum corrosion insulation

    If you're mostly after the aesthetics, then maybe basalt fiber might be a better choice? Otherwise if you top the carbon off with some thin fiberglass just to drill through and rivet, then maybe overdrilling and laminating a fiberglass tube/sleeve to protect the bare carbon might make sense...
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    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    Yes, this exactly. Gasoline car engines may have peak 35% efficiency (~38% efficiency with Atkinson cycle, in the Prius), but are not always running at ideal RPMs, especially in stop-and-go traffic. Add to that the driveline losses, and we're looking at about 22-23% tank-to-wheel efficiency...
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    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    The CHP cycle are a lot more efficient than Otto cycle. The multiple small losses do not compare to the single massive loss.
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    Defend Raptor

    Probably an attempt at a Whitcomb winglet, though the angles, profile, sweep, and taper seem off.
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    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    The average home solar panel system yields about 25 kwh per day. Average electric car uses ~250 wh/mi. That would yield about 100 miles per day from that solar panel system. Now obviously that system would be designed for the house's energy usage, and someone who wants to be grid neutral would...
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    How to incorporate a Hydrogen fuel cell into an electric aircraft for Homebuilders?

    I agree with that. We'd just have to get off corn ethanol here in the states, which uses as much energy (if not more) to produce than we get out of it. On the topic of electric propulsion as a desired trait, the option of a range extender engine like in the greased lightning seems like a less...
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    How to incorporate a Hydrogen fuel cell into an electric aircraft for Homebuilders?

    Well it could mean something different for everyone, but every time someone mumbles hydrogen it is usually synonymous with unicorn farts, sustainability, and the color green.
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    How to incorporate a Hydrogen fuel cell into an electric aircraft for Homebuilders?

    Isn't the entire purpose of hydrogen to get off fossil fuels? If you're reforming liquid hydrocarbon fuels into hydrogen, why not just burn the liquid hydrocarbon fuels? Hydrogen component weights in a Toyota Mirai: Fuel cell stack: 123 lbs Hydrogen tank (1" thick carbon fiber): 193 lbs...
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    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    I'll have to be on the lookout for a crashed Cybertruck at the insurance auctions once they start making deliveries. I think Tesla is also achieving better pack-level weight by double-stacking. Kinda like how a big mac only needs 3 buns to support 2 patties.
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    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    Keep in mind their 144 wh/kg is at the pack level. The best cells right now are around 270 wh/kg, but that's at the cell level. Add on the structure, BMS system, and cooling system and 144 wh/kg is not great but not th at terrible. Even though Tesla's cells are at around 260-265 wh/kg, their...
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    Why battery-powered aircraft will never have significant range

    Here you go, add a tail fin :)
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