Beta from Norway to New Zealand

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Beta Technologies, Kyle Clark’s electric flight dream, is making inroads promoting clean aviation.  It’s impressive enough an effort the Today Show called.  Beta is not only capturing the attention of mainstream media in the U.S., but overseas with projects in Norway and New Zealand. The two countries are at extreme ends of the earth, but both share often cold climates, supposedly anethema to battery-powered vehicles. Electric Flight in a Country Courting EVs Despite its frigid northern latitude, Norway is on an electric roll.  CNBC headlines, “Norway is set to become the first country to fully transition to electric vehicles.”  The report shows a dramatic increase in EV acceptance.  “The country’s electric vehicle sales have increased from less than 1% of total auto sales in 2010 to a whopping 88.9% last year.”   CNBC notes, “Despite its vast oil and gas reserves, the Nordic country has long been recognized as a global leader in sustainable transportation.” Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian …

RX4E Certified

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The Rhyxeon RX4E has become the first passenger-carrying electric aircraft to be certified in China.  After a five-year development program, the four-seat airplane will join flight lines across the country, and perhaps in other nations.  Slated for use in less-developed countries, the craft could provide transport in Asia, Africa, and other areas lacking extensive road networks or facing challenging terrain.  Flying magazing reports, “FLYING interviewed Volar CEO Henry Hooi in April in Abu Dhabi, one of several locations worldwide it aims to fly the zero-emission aircraft. Hooi said the company will initially target RX4E operations in Southeast Asia before expanding to Africa and the Middle East, honing in on regions with traditionally poor aviation access. Use cases for the design, he said, might include private aviation, island hopping, tourism, agriculture, aerial photography, and even medical evacuations.” Having flown the battery-powered RX4E for at least the last five years, and even developing a hydrogen-powered version, the factory is turning to mass production …

Donuts with Incredible Power and Torque

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Out of Stealth Mode Donut Lab, according to Green Car Reports, is a Finnish firm and outgrowth of Verge Motorcycles.  The Lab came out of “stealth mode”  with a surprise announcement at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  Here, CEO and co-founder of the lab, Marko Lehtimaki discusses the significance of his company’s electric donuts. It’s a bit hard describing this type of motor.  It’s not radial or axial flux, but maybe toroidal flux.  Wikipedia goes into a short, but challenging description of a toroid, which is, in short, “The torus is an example of a toroid, which is the surface of a doughnut. Doughnuts are an example of a solid torus created by rotating a disk, and are not toroids.” On a more practical level, motors created in this shape have the advantage of having the active elements at a distance from the geometric center of the motor.  On the large automotive and truck motors, this distance is 21 …

ElFly Looks to the Future

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Elfly, the recently-formed Norwegian aircraft company, looks to a future of responsible, emission-free flight with its nine-to-thirteen passenger amphibians.  Three partners, Eric Lithun (Chief Executive Officer), Tomas Brødreskift (Chief Technology Officer), and Eirik Sandal (Chief Financial Officer), are dedicated to making electric flight along the seaside an everyday occurrence. Lithun was interviewed about the new machine and explained its benefits. Note the humility of the team’s vision and their willingness to learn during the development process.  As Lithun explains, they can save funds by staying in the nine-passenger mode and expanding with market opportunities.  That market may be imminent, with recent announcements of letters of intent Recent interest jumped after a “dry spell” during which Lithun had difficulty finding interest in his “niche” seaplane.  That now seems over with Danish operator Nordic Seaplanes signing an agreement for 15 Noemis.     This would make Nordic, the only European operator of scheduled seaplane operations, as Elfly’s first customer.  Contingent on Noemi’s certification …

Stellantis,  Zeta and Lyten’s Lithium Sulfur Battery

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Stellantis, Zeta Energy, and Lyten are both working independently and  collaborating to develop Lithium-sulfur batteries in a move to reduce prices and increase output and cycle life. Electrive’s lead paragraph heralds the advantages.  “The automotive group Stellantis is entering into a partnership with the Texan battery specialist Zeta Energy to develop lithium-sulfur (LiS) batteries that should enable 50 per cent faster charging, among many other advantages. The new battery technology is said to be significantly more powerful and cheaper than lithium-ion batteries and does not require cobalt, graphite, manganese, or nickel.”  The duo is partnering with Lyten, which has achieved its own breakthroughs in lithium-sulfur technology. The group comprises a sizable investment base, with Stellantis having a $38.52 billion market cap; LG, $7.77 billion, and Zeta, $4.77 billion. Materials Because of the different materials, prices will drop, and availability will be enhanced.  Non-use of cobalt, graphite, manganese, or nickel will avoid sourcing from foreign entities, some of which use child …

Kasaero Flies a Hydrogen Amphibian

Dean Sigler Announcements, Batteries, Electric Aircraft Components, Electric Powerplants, Fuel Cells, hydrogen, Hydrogen Fuel, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Kaesaero, a company specializing in unique aircraft, flew an ultralight hydrogen amphibian on September 23.  Often considered as too heavy and bulky for light aircraft, hydrogen has been seen recently on commercial commuter craft, but rarely on puddle-jumpers available at your local airport. The outing by a Dornier DS-2C, described by Dornier as, “a two-seat amphibious, light sports aircraft manufactured from lightweight, carbon fiber materials. Light by design, but incorporating structural integrity for safety of flight. The aircraft can host up to two occupants and 100 liters of fuel, which secures your next adventure.” Normally powered by a Rotax 912iS Sport engine of 73.5 kilowatts (95.5 horsepower), the two-seat, 650 kilogram (1,430 pound) craft has a maximum cruise speed of 250 kilometers per hour (155 mph) and a stall speed of 73 kilometers per hour (45 mph). Its 9.18 meter span gives it a rate of climb of 3.2 meters per second (630 feet per minute) and the ability to …

Beta Technologies Goes eVTOL and eCTOL

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Beta Technologies’ Alia comes in two variants, eVTOL and eCTOL.  The electric Vertical Take Off and Landing version and electric Conventional Take Off and Landing version have demonstrated their abilities in their full flight ranges, flown a total of 40,000 miles, and helped show off the company’s electric charging network.   Founded by Kyle Clark and Dr. Martine Rothblatt, head of United Therapeutics, Beta grew from the need to transport human organs quickly from donors to recipients. Dr. Rothblatt has a fascinating background, described in her medical company’s web site. “Dr. Rothblatt founded United Therapeutics in 1996 and has served as Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer since its inception. Previously, she created the satellite radio company SiriusXM. She is an inventor or co-inventor on nine U.S. patents, with additional applications pending. Her pioneering book, Your Life or Mine: How Geoethics Can Resolve the Conflict Between Private and Public Interests in Xenotransplantation*, anticipated the need both for global virus bio-surveillance and …

Electra Aero Announces Nine-Seat uSTOL

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Moving from a technology demonstrator to a full-scale nine-seat uSTOL (ultra Short Take Off and Landing) prototype, Electra Aero is showing significant progress in flight that can take advantage of unprepared fields, and pocket airparks that could conceivably serve neighborhoods. Since its introduction, the Electra Aero Goldfinch has demonstrated on a small scale what Electra hopes to achieve with its blown-wing technology on a nine-seat commuter craft.  The Goldfinch has drawn the attention of the military.  It repeatedly demonstrated its ability to take off and land within 150 feet, and its overall arrival and departure flight path emulates that of helicopters. Test pilot Cody Allee has shown the craft’s ability to land and take off on unprepared surfaces and to maintain control in 150-foot diameter turns before both the Air Force’s AFWERX  program and Navy audiences.  That maneuverability speaks well for its potential combat use. The video overview below of Electra’s history gives a good idea of the company’s design …

The Villiger Traveler – A Stunning Resemblance

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The Villiger Traveler is a Swiss aircraft that looks remarkably like the SmartFlyer SF-1 featured in our last posting.  Despite the similar styling, the Traveler has a unique history of its own, and a few stable mates that reflect its careful engineering. The Traveler 230 First introduced in 2017, the Traveler was derived from the TR230, a Cessna-like craft designed with assistance from Calin Cologan and others.  The conventional aircraft, based on other works from this group, was probably Swiss precise in its manufacture. But a different approach and less conventional look were on their way. Same Name, Different Approach Possibly taking the same approach as that taken by the SmartFlyer group, the Villiger team designed a similar appearing airplane, but with two initial variants that gave them some flexibility in choosing components. Carrying on e-Genius’ Platform By 2019, the Villiger craft was probably set in plastic, so to speak.  Such designs have to be “dialed in” early, and because …

Swiss Smartflyer – An Advanced Design

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The Swiss Smartflyer SF-1 is an advanced design showing links to the second-place finisher in the 2011 Green Flight Challenge. Launching an Airplane and an Event The creators of the Smartflyer were intent on developing a different kind of aircraft when they started in 2015.  Their hybrid aircraft had three different modes of power from the beginning: pure electric power from batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and a Rotax engine driving a generator that powers the motor’s batteries. They’ve retained those three configurations to this day, obviously modifying or upgrading them as technology changed.  That’s part of the beauty of electric aircraft.  Motors, components and batteries keep improving, and are easy to add or change. In pure electric version, batteries fill nose, promise 2.5 hours of flight. The overall design is close to that of the original, with three replaceable power sources available for the long nose and a high-mounted propeller on the vertical tail.  That “look” came from Dipl-Ing. Rudolf …