http://www.itproportal.com/2015/03/17/nasa-testing-electric-aircraft-wacky-design-concept/ NASA testing an all electric aircraft with wacky design concept 17/03/2015 By David Curry
[image http://files.itproportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/nasa-leaptech.jpg (eplane) ] NASA space budget might have been cut down in the past few years, but on Earth it is still working on some wacky projects, including a fully electric aircraft. Named the LEAPTech wing, it is part of a joint operation between NASA, Joby Aviation and ESAero to build a replacement to the gas chugging airplanes. Joby Aviation is the main organisation working on the design of the LEAPTech wing, previously working on small aircraft using a new style of propellers for maximum efficiency in the air. The LEAPTech wing features 18 electric motors all independent of one another, allowing the pilot to command each individual motor for even more efficiency. These motors are powered by lithium ion phosphate batteries, with a range of 200 miles. NASA has tried the wing on several tests and will use the Tecnam P2006T aircraft with a customised LEAPTech wing to test for the first flights. There is still the issue of range, currently at 200 miles. NASA could use a hybrid system for intermission between gas and fully electric, featuring a range of 400 miles. Even with the hybrid engine, 400 miles is not enough to entice any commercial airline, considering most need enough fuel to travel more than one continent. That said, electric car range has been doubled in the last five years, meaning we should expect to see similar gains in the electric aircraft market once more companies start getting involved. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk did say the only mode of transport that could not use electric motors would be rockets, and said he would consider working on an electric aircraft sometime in the near future. [© itproportal.com] http://www.pddnet.com/news/2015/03/nasa-demonstrates-electric-propulsion-tech NASA Demonstrates Electric Propulsion Tech 03/17/2015 by Peter Merlin, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center [images http://www.pddnet.com/sites/pddnet.com/files/leaptech.jpg Technicians unload the LEAPTech experimental wing upon its arrival at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. Ground testing will begin after the wing is mounted on a specially modified truck. Image Credit: NASA Photo / Tom Tschida http://www.pddnet.com/sites/pddnet.com/files/heist%20truck.jpg Mounted on a specially modified truck he LEAPTech ground-test article, or Hybrid-Electric Integrated Systems Testbed, will be driven at speeds up to 70 miles per hour across a dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base. Last December, it underwent preliminary testing at Oceano, California. Image Credit: Joby Aviation ] The arrival of a unique experimental demonstrator at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center on February 26 may herald a future in which many aircraft are powered by electric motors. The Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology (LEAPTech) project will test the premise that tighter propulsion-airframe integration, made possible with electric power, will deliver improved efficiency and safety, as well as environmental and economic benefits. Over the next several months, NASA researchers will perform ground testing of a 31-foot-span, carbon composite wing section with 18 electric motors powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries. The experimental wing, called the Hybrid-Electric Integrated Systems Testbed (HEIST), is mounted on a specially modified truck. Testing on the mobile ground rig assembly will provide valuable data and risk reduction applicable to future flight research. Instead of being installed in a wind tunnel, the HEIST wing section will remain attached to load cells on a supporting truss while the vehicle is driven at speeds up to 70 miles per hour across a dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base. Preliminary testing, up to 40 mph, took place in January at Oceano County Airport on California’s Central Coast. The LEAPTech project began in 2014 when researchers from NASA Langley Research Center and Armstrong partnered with two California companies, Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in Pismo Beach and Joby Aviation in Santa Cruz. ESAero is the prime contractor for HEIST responsible for system integration and instrumentation, while Joby is responsible for design and manufacture of the electric motors, propellers, and carbon fiber wing section. [image] Within a few years the NASA hopes to fly a piloted X-plane, replacing the wings and engines of a Tecnam P2006T with an improved version of the LEAPTech wing. Using an existing airframe will allow engineers to compare the performance of the flight demonstrator with that of the original P2006T. Image Credit: NASA Photo The truck experiment is a precursor to a development of a small X-plane demonstrator proposed under NASA’s Transformative Aeronautics Concepts program. Researchers hope to fly a piloted X-plane within the next couple years after removing the wings and engines from an Italian-built Tecnam P2006T and replacing them with an improved version of the LEAPTech wing and motors. Using an existing airframe will allow engineers to easily compare the performance of the X-plane with the original P2006T. Each motor can be operated independently at different speeds for optimized performance. Key potential benefits of LEAPTech include decreased reliance on fossil fuels, improved aircraft performance and ride quality, and aircraft noise reduction. LEAPTech is a key element of NASA’s plan to help a significant portion of the aircraft industry transition to electrical propulsion within the next decade. According to Mark Moore, an aerodynamicist at Langley, “LEAPTech has the potential to achieve transformational capabilities in the near-term for general aviation aircraft, as well as for transport aircraft in the longer-term.” [© pddnet.com] ... http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/Features/leaptech.html LEAPTech to Demonstrate Electric Propulsion Technologies March 16, 2015 ... http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/a14597/nasas-all-electric-plane/ Here Is NASA's 18-Motor All-Electric Plane Mar 17, 2015 By John Wenz ... http://www.slashgear.com/nasa-tests-leaptech-a-crazy-experimental-18-engine-electric-wing-18374088/ NASA tests LEAPTech: a crazy experimental 18-engine electric wing Mar 18, 2015 — Lindsey Caldwell For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=subject%3Aevln+NOT+subject%3Are&days=0&sort=date http://inc42.com/buzz/electric-cab-startup-lithium-to-start-operations-in-bangalore-next-month/ 'Lithium ' e-Cab Startup's Bangalore.in Operation> 100 EV fleet http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2015/prestige-and-luxury/porsche/panamera/living-with-a-plug-in-hybrid-49978 Living with a Porsche Panamera pih, pros&cons e-r:20km/12mi http://traveller24.news24.com/Explore/Bush/Shamwari-unveils-first-electric-safari-vehicle-20150320 shamwari.com 's 20seat Electric Safari-Truck>anti-poaching initiatives http://www.ktvn.com/story/28544220/experimental-bus-makes-the-rounds-in-reno-1 120-seat BYD e-bus trial in Reno NV r:170mi http://www.nhbr.com/March-20-2015/State-offers-rebates-for-more-EV-plug-in-stations/ $24k des.nh.gov rebates&funding targets more S. NH L3&2 EVSE sites + EVLN: Enterprise's e-NV200 electric shuttle van in Madrid.es {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-18-wing-motor-NASA-electric-aircraft-concept-r-200mi-tp4674401.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
