As the world of transport is moving towards a future in which vehicles are electric, it is natural for airplanes to follow the same route.
A single-engine electric plane was tested in Australia, marking another step on the way to transition. Slovenian manufacturer Pipistrel tested the Pipistrel Alpha Electro on an airport in Perth in early January. Pipistrel has also created other innovative models in the past, such as a hydrogen-powered aircraft.
The airplane has two seats and operates on lithium-ion batteries. It's almost as silent as an electric car. It can fly for an hour, but even so it's 30 minutes for a spare flight time. Batteries can give the airplane over 1,000 hours of flight over their lifetime. There is a supercharger in Jandakot Airport that can fully charge Alpha Electro in about an hour.
Pipistrel works with the Electro.Aero startup to bring Alpha Electro to Australia's sky. Joshua Portlock, founder of Electro.Aero, emphasized that the electric propulsion of the plane is much simpler than a motor. Moreover, the current plane is significantly cheaper than the aircraft using fuel. To fly with Alpha Electro for one hour, it costs only three dollars. This is also due to the intelligent way of energy consumption (the aircraft requires only 60 kilowatts to take off and 20 kilowatts to fly.
Electric.Aero plans to build charging stations near Rottnest Island Airport. These stations will allow the transport of small groups of up to five people on the island in an air taxi system.
The use of electric jets is a more eco-friendly alternative to those using fossil fuels. This is more important than ever, when climate change is a crucial issue. Aviation is one of the biggest contributors to gas emissions. Fortunately, Pipistrel and Electro.Aero are not the only ones working to change the aviation industry. Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens are also on their way - announced they will launch the E-Fan X project. The project will make it possible for aircraft to use electric propulsion.