There are battery powered cars, scooters, semi trucks, and now there is a battery powered plane.
The plane, that got its certification in April, features a 5.6 kWh lithium battery with a projected life cycle of 1,000 cycles (before the battery needs replacing). The battery has a max weight of 78 pounds and can be custom-built to fit the available space in an airplane. It provides juice for a motor driving a 45-inch superlight propeller made of carbon fiber and glass fabric.
The plane cruises at 70 miles per hour. Top speed is 90 mph and the stall speed is 45. The plane can fly for 90 to 120 minutes before the battery needs recharging. When the battery needs charging, just plug it into any 110V outlet in six hours you are ready to hit the sky. With a 220V outlet you’re flying again in two hours.
The motor is nearly silent, and the dramatic improvement in “neighbor relations” — no droning engines to drive them nuts. Electric motors don’t produce soot or pollution, and overhauls are a snap. And by combining this motor with the ElectraFlyer’s slow turning propeller, you’ve got a flight that is practically vibration free.
The ElectraFlyer wont empty your wallet when its time to refill, at only $0.60 per charge you will be enjoying the sky a lot longer then those gas guzzlers.
