Electric Sonex

[sain]

Came across an electric powered sonex on youtube (

 

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For the prototype they have you get about 1 hours flight (16minutes or so on full power) with a motor roughly equivelant to the sonex aerovee engines.

 

Interesting to see where things are heading.

 

 

[Ultralights]

i have been looking into this recently, and now they have engines up to 50Hp equiv, 5.6 KW Hr battery, that gives up to 1.5 hrs endurance at 70mph cruise,

 

now my Vampire is 50Hp, and i only get 1.25 hrs endurance with 40 ltrs capacity and a 20 ltr/hr fuel burn, and as my 503 is getting on, and rusty sadly, i will be needing a new engine soon. and seeing as the 503 is no longer in prodution, well, electric seams like it might be a viable alternative, now if there is govt grant scheme somewhere to develop an electric aircraft, then ill start stripping the 503 and fuel system form my vampire!

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Yes electric flight is coming along in leaps and bounds now. you just have to look at the Yunec products.. paragliders trikes single and two seat and twin engine. a couple of years ago people were laughing at my predictions as to how fast it will progress . sure it is going to take a bit for safe battery development to catch up and the prices to fall. but when you look at engine maintenance for instance all a brushless engine needs is new bearings every thousand hours or so. the money you save in all the bits and consumables over the life of a ICE goes a long way to purchase batteries.thenjust a few bucks to recharge. Just hope that the rule makers don't strangle the development of electric flight by imposing stupid restrictions on there potential use and development like they did on the electric car in the 70's.

 

great future ahead for us.

 

a jab would make a great contender for electric power.

 

Ozzie

 

gimme the future NOW

 

 

[Yenn]

I read somewhere about a Rotax 912, coupled with an electric motor by belt drive. The object was to use the Rotax, plus electric for full power and then go to Rotax only for cruise and it would also recharge the battery.

 

 

[Ultralights]

just running a few quick figures with the guys at work, new 503 $4500, fuel at $1.70 per ltr once mixed with 2 stroke, $35 an hr, engine life before overhaul 300 hrs. so fuel costs alone =$10,500 to overhaul.

 

total, $15,000 for 300 hrs flying, not including maintenance, plugs, gear oils, belts, etc etc.

 

New electric engine $4200 and install package, (everything exept battery)

 

5.6 Kw Hr battery approx 2000 cycles life. each cycle conservatively gives 1 hrs flight. so for 2000 hrs flying = $8500.

 

total $12,700 for 2000 hrs flying.

 

economically its looking like the better option..

 

 

[eastmeg2]

Actually Ultralights, a new 503, gearbox, exhaust, carbs and fuel pump cost me $7k earlier this year.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

don't jump up and down with glee just yet. you still have to factor in the hi tek charger. a few grand.

 

but that aside $6.35 an hr for the battery plus 3 bucks tops for a charge is about half what you use in fuel and that stuff will continue to rise over the time you fly off 2000hrs. i suppose you could round the whole lot off at <$20 an hr.

 

 

[turboplanner]

The next option is to add solar panels to extend range.

 

I went through the rules for this year's Darwin-Adelaide Solar challenge and found the cars have had to be speed limited to 130 km/hr, and designed with the driver in a more upright position to create more wind resistance, indicating the technology being used is really starting to show promise.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

Any one watch the recent Isl of Man TT races? really stunning footage of madmen.

 

they now have a class for alternate powered bikes. electric. they run just as hard and fast as the petrol powered bikes.

 

Amazing setups. another application that will speed up the progress that will be of benifit aviation. bit of a shame here as the motors being built are of larger wattage hence weight size than i need. same old story. for me RC to small and all the others too big. plus i need two of each motor and controller.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Well you will persist in flying a plastic shopping bag.

 

Hit the net Oz, I'm sure I saw a story about another aircraft about a year ago, possibly a biplane with an electric motor.

 

Also, it would be worth checking the Solar Race site, and contacting one of the Universities which enter the race.

 

The car motors are made very light to reduce rolling resistance, but if too big and heavy, the talent is there to come up with the right size, and the project may interest some lateral thinkers there.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

My 'plastic bag' celibrates 30 years this weekend in Canada. Still the number one of type on the register there after all those years.I tried talkin to the Uni of New South Wales to try and get help a few years ago. these guys guard there info like fort knox. they develope and sell that solar technology they won't give it away or even discuss it. Not sure if you even want to use the voltages they run in those cars, around 400v. As for regenitive power to recharge. for the expense of the best solar cells to what they feed back in make it uneconomical plus the weight and you don't have enough area to put the amount you need. As for feeding back thru the prop whilst gliding or decending is much the same drag of the prop kills glide performance. IE no free rides mate. thats why these solar cars have the latest cells and run the inverters to get the more effcient voltages and currant supply.A lazair is ruuning twin plentenburg RC motors but they are very poor in performance and cannot supply rated power for any more than a couple of minutes. they had to add cooling fans to them and they suck a fair bit in kilowatts from the output. they have done it but ways to go yet to be practical. best to wait a bit till Yuenic start to sell kits to build my own. i hope to visit China soon for work and will go see them in their new purpose built factory, a paraglider pliot is going to open the factory by flying one of their PPG's around the INSIDE of the plant. must be huge.Ozzie

 

 

[Ultralights]

BATTERY PACKAGES: select one

 

1. Small lithium-polymer pack 2.75kwh $ 4,400.00

 

2. Medium lithium-polymer pack 3.3kwh $ 5,200.00

 

3. Large lithium-polymer pack 5.6kwh $ 8,500.00

 

BATTERY CHARGER: custom high power with lithium ion charge curve-auto shutoff $ 895.00

 

ELECTRAFLYER PROPULSION KIT: (to build your own trike or add to your ultralight)

 

Includes: motor, electronic controller, power dial and switch, fuse, connectors, ammeter and shunt, voltmeter, custom machined propeller hub, and digital motor temperature display with probe.

 

Prices arnt that bad, surprisingly cheap for a charger...

 

only issue i see is finding an engine with enough HP, the sonex is powered by a 18 Hp motor, but the company that developed it aparenty have a 75 HP one in the works, and already in an airframe

 

 

[Vision325]

electric motors

 

These guys seem to be developing motors with some grunt.

 

Enstroj - Electric Apis EA1 - OUR PRODUCTS - Electric Motors - electric propulsion systems for air-planes

 

 

 

MAY 2009 - A new ultra high powered - 60 kW, low RPM - up to 2800 RPM, high torque, low weight -12kg, Air or Liquid cooling electric motor is comming.

 

 

 

At the same time we are preparing all things for serial production of 30 kW(40kWp)/1900 RPM electric motors, controllers with chargers included . Much lower price (as individual production) for them will be knowm in near future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

http://www.ultraflightradio.com/impodcast/2009/08/11/ufr090811b.mp3

 

here is a link to a podcast of Tom Peghiny of Flight Design talking to Ultraflight Radio of the (re)design, building and flying the Flight Star E Spyder at Airventure.

 

the way interest in E flight is going may be time to have it's own section here Ian.