Electric airplanes are a bit different from electric road cars, and are even more limited.
Running out of range 15,000 feet in the air has greater consequences than running out of it on the road. However, most people would plan their flights so they don’t exceed their range, so this issue would surely be a rare one.
SportStar EPOS.
Image Credit: Tech Vehi.
While they are not in use yet, electric airplanes are being developed and making progress. A good example is the Solar Impulse. It can fly virtually any distance because it is equipped with solar panels.
According to Tech Vehi, the SportsStar EPOS, which is just an electric airplane, made its first flight a few days ago.
The SportStar EPOS is equipped with an X90 RE-7 electric motor which was developed by Rotex Electric.
It produces 50 kW (67 HP) and weighs an impressively light 37 pounds (17 kg). The light weight of electric motors helps to compensate for the heavy weight of batteries.
The 378 volt battery pack powers it for 1 hour and a range of about 150 km (around 93 miles). The battery pack was supplied by Dow Kokam, a manufacturer of energy storage solutions.
The SportStar EPOS has a cruising speed of 150 KPH, and has a top speed of 240 KPH (149 mph).
While that’s fast, electric racing enthusiast Chip Yates still holds the speed record for electric airplanes.
It seats two people.
It will be exhibited at the reference European show, which is held from April 24th to April 27th. While pure electric passenger planes still need a major technological breakthrough, hobby fliers could soon have electric vehicles of their own to fly, and their progress is noteworthy.
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