Teofilo Leite has been refining a beautiful twin-motor glider for the last decade. Apparently he’s moving on to a five-seat, four-motor, dual-propeller beauty that is set to take on the world. The Electron 5 looks a great deal like a larger Electron 2, which has been flying in various configurations for the last decade. Electron Aviation, with representatives in The Netherlands and Australia states, “Our Electron 2, a two-seater battery-electric aircraft (Teofilo’s earlier design), is the flying proof that our energy efficient aircraft designs deliver outstanding performance. Whilst being well within inside the 600-kilogram (1,320 pound) ultralight microlight [regulations], it achieves 3 hours flying time during which it can cover 300 kilometers (186 miles).” Electron 2 flies its pilot and passenger on 7.5 kilowatt hours per hour of flight. Its three-hour endurance would mean a battery of at least 22.5 kilowatt-hours. Continued improvement to the Electron 2 required “30,000 design and engineering hours and several re-designs.” The latest iteration “has …
