Siemens Unveils a Little Something Extra

Dean Sigler Batteries, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation 3 Comments

Extra 330Ls have a long nose, usually cowling a Lycoming IO-540 or -580.  The 330 EL, though, houses 14 battery packs of 18.6 kilowatt-hours each (according to InfoAvion, an Argentinian publication), all to allow the Siemens D-SP260 to flex its 300 horsepower muscle and demonstrate what 1,000 Newton-meters (737 foot-pounds) of torque can do for vertical rolls. Flying Magazine thought that its display at AERO Friedrichshafen in Germany “could be a harbinger of the future of emission-free airshow performances.” Siemens intends to use the 330LE for flight test and optimization of a electric propulsion system based on the 50 kilogram (110 pound) motor on display.  Even the large battery array under the clear plastic cover (for Friedrichshafen only, one presumes, although it would be a style leader on any airfield) will give only about 15 to 20 minutes of wide-open airshow power, enough for a great routine, lacking only the airshow noise.  We’re all looking forward to a demonstration.