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Electric / hybrid aircraft propulsion (NOT cars)

GE claims that with new development they can achieve 62%:

https://www.ge.com/power/about/insights/articles/2016/04/power-plant-efficiency-record

EGTR

Arne wrote:

Modern gas engine are still incredibly inefficient over most of the useful band, even the super downsized ones.

That’s not what I meant (read the context please). Modern engines are efficient over a wide power band. Thus, there is no problem making an engine that can cruise efficiently on 50 hp and still achieve 150 hp efficiently for take off and climb. As far as gasoline engines go, modern engines are incredibly efficient. Besides, when talking about efficiency for an aircraft, it’s all about the energy used to bring one unit of goods or passenger from A to B that counts, not the efficiency of a single component (one of several dozens) required to do that job.

Arne wrote:

It’s only a problem if you don’t ever stop for human activities like food, toilet or rest.

You cannot stop an aircraft or a ship half way across the Atlantic Ocean, jump off for food toilet and rest …

We have to accept there are limits for batteries, at least batteries as we know it. Maybe some day something truly revolutionary comes, but it is nowhere to be seen today. Biofuel certainly is nowhere near as “hot” as solar farms, electric airplanes, electric this or that, but without biofuel the world will grind to a halt, because batteries are too heavy, too low energy density by at least an order of magnitude.

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

I have been calculating the amount I spend on energy for a long time and its consistently been about 4% of gross to fuel home, cars, planes etc combined, but not including indirect fuel purchases like airline tickets. As my possessions and responsibilities have grown, and with it my total energy consumption, so has my income. If that holds true for other people, I don’t think efficiency is a great motivator unless it comes at zero cost in utility. Few people are going to give up any utility to decrease a cost that is small fraction of the total, when that utility adds so much to their lives.

Adam posted info on the X-57 Maxwell, distributed electric propulsion, blown lift etc. I met the people running that work and they are general aviation people with interesting jobs… The lady who directs the effort has several airplanes and lives at an airport

Last Edited by Silvaire at 10 Dec 16:08

The Canadian Beaver flyes

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

It was on the news just now. 15 mins flight time plus 15 mins reserve.

The guy said they will have electric airliners which can fly for 7hrs in 30 years’ time. All this will be green – zero emissions.

Maybe he knows about this ?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

The above CTV news report didn’t make any of them, but some of the other news reports contained several errors which are corrected here

LSZK, Switzerland

Rather interesting:



The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

Another manned drone project. This I actually believe in. These guys are not going to “save the world” or “disrupt the aviation industry”. They are “simply” making a manned drone for aerobatic competition, and they seem to be doing great.

This is an example of a completely new type of aviation altogether, made possible with batteries. It’s not electrification of something old, it is all new, both in technology and operation.



The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

I find the concept of a manned aerobatic aircraft, whose occupant has no control input, puzzling.
Or did I misunderstand the report I read?
A cheaper, more energy efficient, way to provide this experience would be a large version of a laboratory shaking machine.
60 years ago Professor Seymour Levine at Chicago used one to demonstrate rats shaken as infants were less neurotic than rats raised totally in a quiet Skinner Box. Rats raised by their mum were even better.

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

Maoraigh wrote:

Or did I misunderstand the report I read?

I would say so. But, which report did you read?

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway
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