Electric Aircraft - What's Going On?
So, is flying from New York to Tokyo with electric airplane coming soon? Probably not in the next ten years, maybe more. But flying an electric ultralight aircraft seems more realistic. Here we'll see what's the current state of this affair and how soon you may fly your electric gyrocopter.
But first, why would you want that?
Advantages of Electric Ultralight Aircraft
If you have followed the development of electric cars, which are getting fairly popular, you already know most of the advantages:
- Reduced motor complexity. Electric engines are simpler as there are no gears. There are less things to break inside.
- No fuel. So there is nothing to explode in case of crash.
- Lower operational costs because of the electricity vs. fuel price, and the lower maintenance.
- Environment friendly. People always argue about this but the fact is that not all energy comes from coal plants. And the CPA of the electric motor is much better. So pollution is less.
So indeed, there are plenty of reasons to want an electric ultralight aircraft or helicopter.