>>All competing electrically powered gliders carry the batteries in the wings.
Well I can think of one only which has the batteries in the wings. The others appear to have them in the fuselage and have done for almost a decade before the ASG 32 El. Having experience of exploding batteries, I always assumed that this was so the burning battery pack could melt its way through the fuselage floor as a safety measure. The pilot may not be so lucky with the ECU if that gets torched. >> it also requires wing modifications if ever a new battery generation comes along. Exactly. And while 2 strokes have a lifespan of perhaps 40 - 100 years (between the Rotax 505 and the Silk version of the Solo) electric motors and batteries have a technology turnover of what? 4-10 years? We currently use Swiss/German electric motors in a part which was designed 20 years ago. During the last 10-12 years we have used the 3 phase induction version, an in-runner. While the motor is moderately reliable, the control circuits are not and the manufacturer has changed these at least once every 2 years with each being a different form factor and requiring a different housing. It may be that the Swiss know bugger all about electronics… I am certainly beginning to think so. The alternative would be to buy a simple old-fashioned Mabuchi motor similar to those used in almost all battery drills such as Makita. In quantity, probably under $2. That compares well with the $450 for the Swiss version. Sailplane manufacturers are in a similar position to us. They don't have the volume to be able to control the manufacturing of non-airframe parts. The question is whether they have the will to continue to offer upgrades to legacy gliders and what it will cost. In many cases, when you add the R&D and certification and EASA, you'll be looking at well north of 300% above market price. History suggests that some manufacturers do not if the will to keep supporting old technology if the Ventus story is correct. D _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring
