Can electric aircraft truly become part of the national or worldwide fleet? You might discount the possibility, but then consider Airbus.
When I was a youngster, I remember a TV commercial with a song jingle that went, “Electricity does more for you each day.” (Despite the decades that have passed, the tune still plays in my head.) Another one urged us to “Live better, electrically!” It had to be worthy; even Ronald Reagan (before he became president) announced the message for General Electric.
Today, such retro TV ads look and sound rather quaint. We no longer have to encourage people to use electricity. Indeed, the climate change crowd may prefer that we all reduce usage. Companies everywhere want to be seen as “green.”
National and state politicians subsidize the purchase of electric cars, so intent are they that you should use less fossil fuel. Whatever you think about renewable energy versus hydrocarbons, one thing seems certain: We are going to arrive at electric airplanes.
Electric Aircraft Then…
That last sentence is wrong. We are not going to arrive at electric airplanes. We’ve already arrived. I’ve flown one and some pilots are accumulating growing amounts of airtime on them. One tried to fly around the world.
Randall Fishman showed up at Oshkosh with his electric-powered weight shift ultralight in 2007. One of the contemporary pioneers of electric flight, Fishman is now in his third generation of electric airplane development and he is no longer alone in the field.
Electric aircraft are not new, but modern developments have caused the pace to quicken. Fishman made his Oshkosh debut the same year Apple released its first iPhone. Eight years later, smartphones are ubiquitous and electric aircraft are also engaged in furious development.
Electric motors got their modern start on the very lightest aircraft in the fleet, officially called “ultralight vehicles” by FAA. The reason is that these ultralight flying machines need less power and that means carrying aloft less batteries. With energy density still far behind fossil fuels, battery weight is a key reason larger electric aircraft remain in the concept stage.
Clearly, open cockpit aircraft weighing only 254 pounds empty aren’t for all pilots. What else is available?
… and Now
Europe’s ElectraOne has been flying for a few years as a fully enclosed aircraft. However, it’s a single seater. Likewise, Randall Fishman’s ThirdGen creation is a high-tech motorglider-style electric aircraft called ULS. Sleek and enclosed, it, too is a single seater.
ElectraOne has migrated to the USA where businessman George Bye is developing the Sun Flyer, essentially an ElectraOne with two seats and more conventional landing gear. Bye has stated that he intends to offer his Sun Flyer to flight schools and already reports some initial orders.
Pipistrel is a Slovenian company ahead of that same game with its Alpha Elektro. Flight schools outside the USA are already using the side-by-side two seater for pattern work where batteries can be quickly swapped to keep students flying.
China’s Yuneec bought an American ultralight called Spyder from Flightstar Aircraft after working with U.S. developer Tom Peghiny to make an electric-powered version renamed eSpyder.
Yuneec became a large company through its radio-controlled aircraft and when the RC industry made a sweeping transition to electric motors Yuneec found it had know-how about electric motors, controllers, batteries, and charging system that could be used to make man-carrying electric airplanes. Its e430 is a well developed side-by-side two seater that looked nearly ready for market. Indeed Yuneec established GreenWings to sell the eSpyder and e430 but the company put those plans on hold for reasons not fully communicated.
Meanwhile, as you recently read in these pages, Florida entrepreneur Chip Erwin has received his first ePlane and will be offering the all-metal fully-enclosed European design with his own electric motor and related systems probably before the end of 2015.
Electric Airplane Futures
Finally, we come to the big boys of aviation … the really big boys. I refer to giant airline manufacturer Airbus and its E-Fan.
At present, Airbus’ E-Fan aircraft are essentially sized like a Light-Sport Aircraft (though that company has yet to make announcements regarding certification systems). E-Fan 1.0 is a tandem two seater, but the company has much more ambitious plans.
Its more conventional looking two seat E-Fan 2.0 still uses twin ducted motors that impart a tiny business jet look following on the E-Fan 1.0 that completed an English Channel crossing in July. That effort created a whole flurry of corporate intrigue regarding who would be first to make the crossing … but that’s another story.
E-Fan 2.0 is moving along with Airbus also planning an E-Fan 4.0 with four seats, though such a project must await fresh battery development.
Airbus is looking even deeper into the future and it isn’t only in two- and four-seat small aircraft. Its July 2015 press kit contained extensive information about its ideas for electric airliners. Yes, electric airliners!
FAA and Electric Power?
Meanwhile in the USA, the FAA is struggling on a few fronts — NextGen software “glitches,” the Third Class medical petition, remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) or drones proliferating like bunny rabbits, and new budget worries.
That probably means the agency won’t soon find time to fix a handful of words in its 11-year-old Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft rule that blocks development of an electric aircraft industry in America.
That’s regretful because electric airplanes hold great promise and many, including a significant number of FAA employees, are rooting for them to succeed.
The promises of electric propulsion are many, from quieter operation to reduced use of fossil fuel (still used to produce electricity, of course) to lower maintenance hassle, to far less vibration and the airframe fatigue that accompanies it.
When Apple first introduced that iPhone, many didn’t see how it was going to change communicating and computing. Electric aircraft may not seem to offer anywhere near that potential, but when you scale the idea up to airliners, well … all bets are off.
It may be hard to see where electric aircraft could be headed, but the future seems certain to have more buzzing around. Eight years ago, did you envision having a smartphone in your hand nearly all day long?
Numerous electric airplane articles are available at ByDanJohnson.com
General aviation is on a rapid decline due to the expense of purchasing, upkeep and hangering our planes. Until kit or fully developed aircraft can be purchased at a much more affordable cost, technology as it influences propulsion will not save the industry.
I’d really, really be interested in buying an electric airplane to compliment my “old school” C150. Just think, no engine or exhaust noise, no smelly, highly flammable fuel, no more O-200 oil leaks, no more mixture control or carb heat to fool with, no danger at all of carb ice, much less vibration (and far fewer stress cracks in the airframe), no loss of power with altitude (or at least not as much, the propeller still needs air), a reduction in density altitude accidents because the motor develops full power at ANY density altitude, no more winter pre-heat needed, no more exhaust system cracks and no concerns about carbon monoxide (note to self, sell my stock in Dead-Stop), no more annoyed neighbors if I decide to fly at 2 AM, no more dripping quick-drains, AND NO MORE $5+ a gallon 100LL because I can charge this thing up with solar cells on the roof of my hangar FOR FREE. (And reverse my electric meter when the airplane batteries are charged.) OK, where do I sign?
Electric airplanes will never have decent range, despite all the wishfull thinking. It’s great for a trainer, but cross country… forget it.
Trainer or pleasure flying role is fine. There are an awful lot of folks who only want to get up in the air and change their point of view or chase a hamburger now and then. There is room at the bottom of the food chain for powered parachutes, ultalights and LSAs, If electric aircraft operation is cheap enough, they will provide more opportunity for folks who want to follow their interest in aviation. Granted, it will be a very long time before they replace your G 650. But nobody starts there.
Never is a very long time. We may not see it but stuff will happen in the next 100 years like it has in the last….only faster….(As long as we don’t blow our selves or such first…)
Electric aircraft may well save the entire light GA industry. I can’t wait! With new graphene battery technology and practical Gen IV nuclear power plants, the sooner we get to an electric world, the better. New technology batteries will provide much higher power density – power stored vs. weight. Thorium nuclear will generate ‘walk away’ safe, carbon-free, sustainable and affordable power. All we have to do is get to the future. http://www.citizen-films.fr/en/thorium/
Prime example of overregulation stifling technological development.
There is certainly a place for regulation in aviation… this is a dangerous field to be in if you don’t respect it. But regs for small airplanes became overdeveloped and excessively burdensome some years ago. People are starting to realise that regulation (much like processes in a corporation) needs to be scalable based on the size of the project, the intended market, and the consequences of failure. Hence the Part 23 rewrite… I just hope they actually make it lean and scalable instead of making it more burdensome.
This issue of electrics is also a cautionary tale about writing regulations around particular technologies. So much of what is in the FARs are specific to liquid-fuel-burning airplanes with turbine or reciprocating engines. There is no allowance for alternative technologies. Regs need to focus on the design process and safety goals, as opposed to targeting particular technologies. Regs need to be technology-agnostic.