Diamond Aircraft’s all electric eDA40 made its first flight July 20, 2023, at the company’s headquarters in Wiener Neustadt in Austria.
The maiden flight “marks a significant milestone for the manufacturer and all project partners and is a big step towards certifying the aircraft,” according to company officials.
Piloted by Diamond’s Head of Flight Test Sören Pedersen, the maiden flight covered system checks, all basic maneuvers, and initial performance evaluation.
The eDA40, which Diamond officials say will be the first EASA/FAA Part 23 certified electric aircraft, is powered by an ENGINeUS electric smart motor by Safran Electrical & Power and charged by Electric Power Systems’ (EPS) battery module equipped with a Direct Current (DC) fast charging system.
“We are very excited to take part in the eDA40 first flight, along with Diamond Aircraft, as it is the first time our ENGINeUS electric motors and the electrical protection system will fly on an all-electric aircraft. Participating in the electrification of the DA40, a proven aircraft and a best seller, has been a thrilling technical challenge. We have recently obtained Design Organization Approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for our ENGINeUS 100 electric motor and are currently on the home stretch in obtaining their final certification,” said Bruno Bellanger, executive vice president and general manager of the power division of Safran Electrical & Power.
For more information: DiamondAircraft.com.
Why do the dinosaurs who decided they had learned all there is to know in 1950 decide to leave their pearls of wisdom here? Enjoying the heat dome much? How about the wildfire smoke? We’ve got to stop pulling carbon out of the ground and putting it into the atmosphere. If for no other reason, you should support sustainable aviation efforts like this for the sake of your great grand children.
It’s good to know that the work continues on battery technologies. Thanks for the info.
But, the ‘elephant ‘ in the room is the recharging infrastructure and the costs to airports to provide it.
In CA, PG&E cost of $0.40+ per kWhr makes EVs operating costs on a par with Gas/diesel.
Then there is the initial cost ‘delta’ vs maint. of a gas car…?
8$/gal im outta here
10000$ annuals
60000$ engines same
my chevy bolt ev is a penny a mile 0-60 in 5 sec and goes 300 miles a charge
get with the program. thanks dismond for getting ball rolling
The big question is Why? Does this coal-powered battery plane cost less than the original version powered by a solid, reliable, diesel engine? Does its performance improve, especially its range? Is there a market for such a contraption beyond a few wealthy granolas?
“No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris… [because] no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping.” — Orville Wright
The follow up to this is;
” However, in 1927, this skepticism was finally put to rest when Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, flying from New York to Paris in thirty-three hours.”
This was possible with advanced aircraft and engine development with known materials using improved processes.
The is currently no ‘magic’ chemistry or materials to produce the energy density of gasoline, 30+kWhr per pound.
There is no mention of how long the aircraft flew ? Was it 10 minutes ?
And at the time Orville made his comment, there was no ‘magic’ airframe or engine technology that would allow an airplane to cross the Atlantic ocean.
Yup, and in May, 1961, when Pres. JFK announced the effort, we had no airframe or propulsion to get to the moon…. but in July of 1969 we did.
No ‘magic’, just a lot of engineering work and testing.
Which is what we need, and which is ongoing, with battery technology.
Let’s see what battery technology improvements we get over the next 10 years.???
Oh, and there is still the problem of recharging that high capacity battery.
In other comments, a Cessna 172 would need a 500 kWhr battery of 300 lbs., to match the current performance.
So, airports would have to buy the $250k charger of 125kw to 250 kw, and then convince the local utility to provide the grid power, at a few more $100k …
[ BTW, the circuit that feeds my neighborhood of 150 homes is a 12kv line at 20 amps = 240 kw..!!]
When all you can see is the current state of the art, your predictions are about as justified as Orville’s was.
And what advanced technologies do you see.??
As an electrical engineer, I don’t see any technologies beyond lithium. ?
There are a number of technologies under development, including solid state, NanoBolt Lithium Tungsten, lithium sulfer, Next Generation Lithium Ion (NGLB), metal hydrogen, cobalt-free lithium ion, and organosilicon electrolyte. And who knows what technology will be developed in the next couple of decades that we can’t even imagine yet? Orville Wright could never have imagined the advances in materials and engine technology that have made trans-oceanic flight possible. But nothing ever gets invented with the attitude “It’ll never work!”