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Old June 24th 08, 03:37 AM posted to rec.aviation.piloting,rec.aviation.homebuilt
Andrew Sarangan
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Posts: 382
Default How Beat The High Cost Of Fuel: The ElectraFlyer-C

On Jun 21, 11:42 pm, Richard Riley wrote:
On Jun 16, 7:37 pm, Larry Dighera wrote:

How Beat The High Cost Of Fuel


The motor is powered by a 78 pound, custom-built lithium-ion polymer
battery with a power output of "5.6 kilowatt hours"; projected life is
300 to 500 full discharge cycles or more than 1,000 partial cycles.
The battery can be recharged in as little as two hours using a
220-volt charger (or six hours with a 110-volt charger). The cost for
a full recharge is 70 cents with the 110-volt charger. Fishman says
it's feasible to carry a small 110-volt charger as baggage on
cross-country flights.


1 horsepower = .75kw. So 5.6 kilowatt hours is only 7.51 horsepower
hours. Good enough for a short burst to get you to altitude and soar
the thermals, bu you aren't going anywhere cross country.

Compare it to a really inefficient 2 stroke, burning .6 lb/hp-hr.
Your battery is equal to .75 gallons of gas.


The technology is immature, but this is on the right track. When a
suitable battery is invented, there is no arguing that it will easily
replace small gasoline engines. And battery development is just
getting started, so things can only get better. We have not invested
in batteries other than for portable electronics.
I am sure many in 1903 argued that a horse drawn carriage could go
much farther and safer than the Wright flyer.