Don Hodges
Member
Just curious, but has anyone tried an electric drive with a remotely mounted generator. Might make for interesting weight and balance. Could possibly get the weight off the FWF. Opinions please.
Funny they don't give an empty weight for the version with the Wankel. The EW of the straight electric is already 1168 pounds. Perhaps they'd have to remove a bunch of the battery pack to compensate for the engine weight. Otherwise they'd lose pretty much all their useful load, or they'd have to raise the gross weight, not a good idea considering that Vso is already 52 knots/60 mph.What about Equator's P2 Xcursion?
Quote:
"Although initial testing is done on our pure electric power drivetrain (batteries, controller and electric machine, which will also be an option for future customers, the P2 Xcursion was made to accomodate and test a new type of range extender based on a 57kW wankel rotary motor that can use bio based cherosene fuels. The system and components is a specialized drive train proprietary to Equator Aircraft. More info will follow on when we will make these components available to be purchased. " Prototype | Equator Aircraft
Equator Aircraft
Article about Equator P-2 at sustainableskies.org
Ah. Yet another website marketing yet another unproven airplane with unproven range.They have come a long way but the longest flight I saw mentioned was 17 minutes. No flights yet on the hybrid power so still not a real world solution to range extending an electric aircraft.
I’ve never seen a commercial version of a free piston linear generator. Can you point out one for me?It could work if they went with something like a free piston linear generator. An engine specifically designed from the ground up to be a generator rather than standard engine configurations that aren't.
=CRI-CRI, bischen grosser !?Info from web:
Very optimistic.85% generator (I am very optimistic)
Once again, marketing efforts based on unproven speculation, though by a reputable company for a change. The only actual photo of anything related to the real thing is a picture of some molds for the fuselage. Obviously there is no actual airplane yet, with or without any range extender.ELFIN
RS.aero: elfin project
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Info from web:
"Elfin can be fitted with an auxiliary range extender. The 60 kilogram (132 pound) under-wing mounted internal combustion engine and generator setup can deliver 30-35 kW continuously. At a normal cruise of 185 km/hr (100 knots or 115 mph) at 10,000 feet, the Elfin can carry its two passengers 1,000 kilometers, or 540 nautical miles – roughly six hours endurance. Fuel is carried in the center wing and the pod carrying the engine/generator can be mounted or demounted by a single person with a “rigging aid.” In operation, a single on/off switch enables or disables the range extender."