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Fully Electric E-FAN Aircraft Completes its Maiden Flight in France

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The world’s first battery-powered airplane, E-Fan, has just successfully completed its first flight in Bordeaux, France. The small experimental aircraft is powered by 120 lithium-ion polymer batteries and can fly up to 220kmph. According to its manufacturer, Toulouse-based Airbus, an hour long commercial flight with the E-Fan could cost only $16, compared to $55 for a flight in a petrol-powered plane of the same size. (inhabitat.com) और अधिक...

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tcmarks
Tim Marks 3
The article describes 'commercial flight' with this electric plane. Knowing the maladays with decades-long engineered fully electric cars and how often they fail to reach their destination, how can this aircraft be certified for commercial flight? The airworthiness authorities will demand flight reserves to enable a minimum of 45 minutes additional safe flight beyond the defined maximum range - I don't see this happening with the current technologies and uncertainties of stored electrical power. Another tree-hugger pipe dream that is still decades away from any viable reality - you will be flying using fossil fuels in your P&W/GE/RR/IAI/Snecma powered commercial flights for the foreseeable future.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
LOL... Think that Boeing 787 had battery problems.. Wait til you see this thing on the market.
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 1
Just as the French have long had strange notions about cheese they now apply that mind set to aircraft power.

No one can make an accurate fuel gage for any battery. They are nervous packages of complex chemistry subject to the whims of practical physics. While most of us laugh at the smug fools "saving the planet" by driving hybrid or full electric cars, they can do little damage if the thing quits shy of the intended destination.

There is a reason aircraft cost so much. We must be reasonably sure it will finish the flight. I can't be sure my weed whacker will finish the yard without a battery change, how could I trust a plane using the same power source?
preacher1
preacher1 4
The main difference I can see is that if a ground vehicle, powered the same way, quits, you pull to the side of the road. If one of these quits at altitude, you have a minor problem. LOL
linbb
linbb 1
Take a look at the electric cars that catch on fire and then think about being at say 5000 feet and have it short out. No thanks will take my chances besides this electric green thing doesn't work anyway as the overall footprint is worse than gas powered rigs.
henrijamet
henri Jamet -1
linbb
linbb 1
Ok I will bite, what is that in the language used here??? I agree with Preacher 1 and to add a little more to it doubt if Airbus even with there government backing on things can make it work any better or faster than they have to this point.
preacher1
preacher1 2
Yeah, and even with most of or Ecars today, they are hybrid to satisfy our penchant for "got to go now". Such a feature would be nice, especially if it quit at FL350. To boot, I don't think the recharge cost would be that significant, but as one post says here, what about the turnaround time?
BaronG58
BaronG58 1
French...means...Jealous
TorstenHoff
Torsten Hoff -1
I'm certain this is not the first battery-powered plane to have flown, I am merely reproducing the text of the original article unedited. What makes this noteworthy is that Airbus is behind the project, so there is some chance that this thing (or a derivative) could go into production.
dg1941
dg1941 3
Sonex made and flew the first fully electric civil airplane.
GringoZX
Robert Cheeseman 0
And what about turn-around times? You can't just gas-and-go. It takes hours to recharge. And nothing is ever free, how much does the electricity cost to recharge?

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