Are you ready to trust your battery to take you up in the Air?

Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
We have a lot of battery discussions. Most are about reliability or lack there of.

Now here is the ultimate test of your battery...:)

Flying... In a plane. Not a drone... You in the Air dependent on Electrical Battery Power...:yikes:
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
Sooooo.. Why not go full green and fly a sailplane .. Just about as practical as that thing for cross country!
 
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Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Nice and quiet in the cabin. Like cruising around the harbor with my Torqeedo powering the dinghy, where I can have a normal conversation with anyone else in the boat. And the range of the Torqeedo's battery is impressive. I can get several days of running around in the dinghy on one charge, depending on how I use the throttle. If I keep an eye on the battery monitor, I should never run out of power. Probably a good idea on the airplane, too.
 
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TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
When I compare the electric motor failure rate in my life compared to the internal combustion engines, heck yes, I'm in for a battery powered airplane for my first one.

10 years ago we laughed at the mention of electric cars. Now well over a million are on the road and projections are for 125 million just over 10 more years.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
10 years ago we laughed at the mention of electric cars.
Interesting to note that electric cars delivered goods all across NYC before the Wankle Engine and cheap gasoline took over.
I was always frustrated by the BIG DEAL everyone made of hybrids. Why not jump into that pool right away? Why just wade in up to your knees?

How about an ionized air jet?
Haw! I found one.
Why not do this with a sailboat?

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I can get several days of running around in the dinghy on one charge, depending on how I use the throttle.
Then what happens... Do you hook it up to the generator and fire up the diesel burner to recharge the electrical motor? Perhaps you take it to shore and use the nuclear or gas generated power to plug in the battery charger. There is no easy answer. Not sure but I guess that the time to recharge the battery using solar is a while. I think I read that he Torqeedo uses a 48 V system.

I really like the convenience of the electric outboard. The low noise operation. They have come a long way in power management. I am not yet convinced that they are any more Eco-friendly than a properly tuned current designed small gas outboard.
 
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Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Then what happens...
I charge the Torqeedo off the house batteries, which are charged by solar panels. The Torqeedo charges either by a 110v AC chord or a 12v chord. 100% solar charged. It does take a while, but that is not an issue. As I said, I can go days on a charge, then plug the battery in when it is convenient. I rarely run the battery down past 50%, but being lithium Ion, that isn't an issue either. No more gasoline stored in the cockpit, no more mixing oil and gas, no more oil in the water from the 2 cycle engine, no more noise. The Torqeedo is very efficient, I think. It has the same amount of power that my 3hp Mercury had.
If you get a chance, try a Torqeedo. You'll like it!
 
Feb 20, 2011
7,990
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Cool.
Put some photovoltaics all over the aircraft, or build the upper skins out of PVs.
 
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Johann

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Jun 3, 2004
420
Leopard 39 Pensacola
Sooooo.. Why not go full green and fly a sailplane .. Just about as practical as that thing for cross country!
Yeah, I think the electric kit for the glider is much more practical... you get to self launch, and you can ride thermals for range. The plane in the video might be useful for initial pattern training, or demo flights, but not much else...
 
Jan 5, 2017
2,263
Beneteau First 38 Lyall Harbour Saturna Island
The plane in the video might be useful for initial pattern training, or demo flights, but not much else...
That video got me interested. Found that Rolls-Royce and Airbus are building one: 500kph (300mph) London to Paris non-stop. Not too bad for early efforts!
 
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Johann

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Jun 3, 2004
420
Leopard 39 Pensacola
That’s a pretty short hop, and with the channel in between I would assume it’s non-stop:biggrin:. Anyway, the plan is just to replace one of four jet engines with an electric fan... undoubtedly they will use the other 3 engines generators to power the electric motor.
 
Nov 6, 2006
9,884
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I like electric stuff because of the quiet and mechanical simplicity.. but two biggies come to mind.. one is the power .. the little plane was using 23 kilowatts more or less to run at cruise in its low power mode.. That is the equivalent of 230, 100 watt solar panels.. which is about 1476 square feet of panel.. and that might cost (at about $110/100watts) $25,300 !! might not be completely economical.. (yes you can store power in a battery and so don't need the full 23 kilowatts, but batteries are pretty expensive and usually the 100 watt panels are rated at their highest output, not on an average day) The battery cost for the plane is $22500. The second problem I have is that since electric motors have only a couple/three moving parts (ball bearings and rotor) which do not require much precision machining or assembly, why are the prices so high for something like an electric outboard ?
In all fairness, the little ship is designed as a trainer with a one hour endurance. It would be excellent at that design point, probably a good investment for a flight school .. but not so much as a real, cross country airplane..
I am not biased against electric powered vehicles, I don't think they are (yet) as versatile as the liquid fueled counterparts.
 
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Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
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I was always frustrated by the BIG DEAL everyone made of hybrids. Why not jump into that pool right away? Why just wade in up to your knees?-Will (Dragonfly)
Whatever happened to fuel cells? More efficiency, less pollution.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
I am not biased against electric powered vehicles, I don't think they are (yet) as versatile as the liquid fueled counterparts.
Definitely agree with you Claude. And they are not financially justifiable, at this point in time, as compared to fossil fueled
vehicles. Perhaps one day......
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Whether financially viable or as versatile as fossil fuel power, electric motive power is just getting started and its development, as with any infant technology, has to move through these stages to reach a more efficient potential. Electric dragsters have a straight line power curve and more torque and are more efficient at startup speeds, than piston driven engines. The recharging options for electric power include onboard, independent hydro, wind and solar power generation. Plug in at dockside or charge on the high seas. When you run out of gasoline, you need a fuel dock or another boat with a spare gas can. There is no refueling in the middle of the ocean.
This little experimental plane is really exciting.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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