Unveiled at the Oshkosh Airventure event this summer, Pipistrel’s new, twin-fuselage, 75-foot wingspan plane is powered by only a 145-kilowatt brushless electric motor mounted, very non-traditionally, between two passenger pods.
“The Taurus G4 NASA Racer is a technology demonstrator,” explained Tine Tomažič, leader of the Pipistrel G4 development team. “It is the first-ever electric four-place aircraft.”
One of Pipistrel’s other innovations is the Virus S-Wing: proclaimed the fastest ultra-light plane in the world at speeds up to 186 mph. (The maximum allowable speed for these in the US is 64 mph.)
In 2007 it claimed the NASA Centennial challenge title of the best Personal Air Vehicle, and in 2008 it won the main prize in the General Aviation Challenge with its low noise, extremely low fuel consumption and excellent manoeuvrability.
This Slovenian-based company is one example of the worldwide expansion of more “green” aircraft designs. They join those of Germany’s PC-Aero and Lange Aviation’s Antares 20E, China’s Yuneec E430, USA’s (Colorado) “The Green Flight Project,” and others in making efficient all-electric flight not just possible but efficient and economically attractive.
The culmination of work in materials development, solar cell improvements, gas prices, environmental concerns, and expanded views on uses for scientific research and defence seems to have brought about a new age of aircraft design advancements.
Sources: Top Secret Writers, Inhabitat, Web-Site