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But what about the power source? How much does that weigh?
its not the motors themselves, nor even the power source. the problem is that modern passenger jets rely on not only the thrust that the compressor section generates, but the heat from the exhaust as well. in a high bypass turbofan engine, the exhaust heat can be as much as 33% of the power generated by the engine. in a low bypass engine its even more.
if you want to build a long range passenger aircraft using electric motors, you are going have to figure a way to either carry all the electricity you need to power the aircraft, including running the instruments, climate control system, and all the other electronics on board the aircraft, or figure a way to recharge the batteries in flight.
making a powerful electric powered air turbine is easy enough.
I had no idea that the technology had advanced far enough to make this possible.
Harbour Air has been in operation for 37 years, and is North America’s largest seaplane airline. It services over 500,000 passengers on 30,000 flights each year.
All the aircraft that service Harbour Air’s 12 routes will be refitted with 750 horsepower magni500 electric motors. The first seaplane to be converted will be a six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver, with the first flight tests expected to occur in late 2019.
questions are:
how far can it fly on a charge?
can this be fitted for larger (than their 6 seater) planes? for example they are talking 750HP, while a 777 each engine (there are two) is 110,000hp
what is the recharge time
its not the motors themselves, nor even the power source. the problem is that modern passenger jets rely on not only the thrust that the compressor section generates, but the heat from the exhaust as well. in a high bypass turbofan engine, the exhaust heat can be as much as 33% of the power generated by the engine. in a low bypass engine its even more.
if you want to build a long range passenger aircraft using electric motors, you are going have to figure a way to either carry all the electricity you need to power the aircraft, including running the instruments, climate control system, and all the other electronics on board the aircraft, or figure a way to recharge the batteries in flight.
making a powerful electric powered air turbine is easy enough.
I know that.
The batteries are the weight penalty. That limits passengers and baggage. And that’s what pays the bills. I see it not feasible.
if you want to build a long range passenger aircraft using electric motors, you are going have to figure a way to either carry all the electricity you need to power the aircraft, including running the instruments, climate control system, and all the other electronics on board the aircraft, or figure a way to recharge the batteries in flight.
On top of all of that, they would also need plenty of extra power just to keep the batteries warm at
30,000 feet.
The logistical requirements to support full-scale use of electric airlines will be complicated. Airlines rely on aircraft having quick turnaround times in order to stay profitable, so realistically, that means the batteries will have to be rapidly swapped out between flights. How is that going to work?
What is the recharge time for these batteries?
What power requirements are needed for the airports in order to charge a large number of large batteries?
How many batteries will airports need to have on-hand at any given time?
Will the battery designs be standardized or will airports need to carry a variety of different models?
All of these issues are solvable, but I don't think we are anywhere near ready yet for mainstream application.
I heard there is also progress on solar-powered plane technology. And it makes sense, planes tend to fly above the clouds, so the unhindered exposure to the sun could be utilized across a big wing and upper fuselage surface area.
This way batteries could be smaller as they would be recharged in-flight so to speak.
I heard there is also progress on solar-powered plane technology. And it makes sense, planes tend to fly above the clouds, so the unhindered exposure to the sun could be utilized across a big wing and upper fuselage surface area.
This way batteries could be smaller as they would be recharged in-flight so to speak.
or figure a way to recharge the batteries in flight.
[AOC] Lightning! They can fly through storms and harvest the energy. Or put a wind turbines on the wings of the plane to generate electricity. [/AOC]
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