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24/04/2008
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Power-packed concept sparks an all-electric aeroplane
Electric motors and batteries have now reached the point where they can power a micro-light aircraft.
Such is the conclusion of the highly talented team developing the ‘Hummingbird’ machine, scheduled to take to the air before the end of the year.
While it is expected to provide some ‘serious fun’ for its developers and users, it is also part of a project to develop more fuel-efficient strategies for aircraft that may one day be hybrids, using similar strategies to those being increasingly used in cars.
The project owes everything to the development of rare earth magnets and lithium polymer batteries. Targeted at laptops and phones, these have capacities of up to 150 Whr/kg and power densities of 1,000 W/kg – compared with around 30Whr/kg and 200 W/kg for conventional automotive lead acid batteries.
A longer article appears in the next issue of Eureka.
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Author
Tom Shelley
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