Electric and Hydrogen aeroplanes - feasibility and issues

[Justo Miranda]

That plane is going to need a very long wire

 

[alberchico]

How close is Australia's aviation industry to going fully electric?

Multiple Australian companies are pioneering the country's electric aviation industry. So how are green planes powered, how safe are they, and what will it cost?

www.abc.net.au

I think one big misconception about electric engines is that since they have fewer moving parts people assume they must be simpler and inherently trouble free. But the electronics and software needed to manage them is incredibly complex. This is an old but good interview that sheds some light on these engines:

MagniX Seeks Retrofit Certification Path | Aviation Week Network

The company is focusing on the retrofit market as the easiest path to market for its electric propulsion units.

aviationweek.com

“People say electric motors are much less complex than gas turbines,” Armesmith says. “And that is true physically, but functionally, and in software, I would say [motors] give [turbines] a run for their money."

“Controlling permanent magnet machines is complex,” she continues. “And the software around extremely fast-acting protection systems that can get ahead of an electrical fault is very complex. A lot of our development recently has been around that.”

 

[shin_getter]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhMOhrXm4n4

Anyone know more about this? 500Wh/kg flown?

 

[Rhinocrates]

The Fully Charged channel was originally about electric ground vehicles but has expanded its scope to all things electric, including aircraft and infrastructure. Here's one video from 2022 about the first commercial electric plane, the Pipistrel. Some may recognise Robert LLewellyn as Kryten from Red Dwarf.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdfYXlUK6is


This is a recent update the first public charging network, Aerovolt, featuring the Pipistrel again. At the nine minute mark the discussion looks at other aircraft, then charging technology and growth of the company.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hmEjconLyA

 

[Scott Kenny]

Electric power works tolerably well for small scale aircraft, up to something maybe the size of a Beaver or Otter/Twin Otter, and as long as you're flying short distances of less than 100nmi/190km. Bigger loads or longer distances, and you can't carry big enough batteries to make the trip.

 

[Zoo Tycoon]

Electric power works tolerably well for small scale aircraft, up to something maybe the size of a Beaver or Otter/Twin Otter, and as long as you're flying short distances of less than 100nmi/190km.

The farce that was Alice in wonderland proved that it doesn’t “work(s) tolerably well.”

 

[Scott Kenny]

The farce that was Alice in wonderland proved that it doesn’t “work(s) tolerably well.”

Couple hundred kg payload up to 200km, but 100km is better.