A new “record” for an electric aircraft flight probably won’t make the books, but was a great sales opportunity for the off-grid charging system that accompanied it. 21 electric airplane records exist in the list of Federation Aeronautique Internationale-recognized achievements. At least one was set in 2012 by Jean-Luc Soullier in his Colomban MC-30 Luciole (Firefly) – 189.87 kilometers per hour (117.98 mph) over a 15 kilometer closed course using a Lynch-type brushed motor. It topped his record in February of the same year of 136.4 kph (84.76 mph). For a while, Soullier held records for altitude and distance, but these were eclipsed by others. At the time, your editor encouraged beating these records, since they were early efforts in a field that should have shown greater progress that it has. Batteries are not that much improved in some respects. Recent flights in Australia, Europe, and America required a mobile infrastructure to charge those batteries. Cars, trucks and airplanes carried …
Beam Me Up: Flying on Sunshine™
We recently reported on two electrically-powered cross-country flights for which the big issue was lack of battery-charging facilities at airports along the way. Both “teams” had their chargers carried by an accompanying airplane or automobile. Now, with a public demonstration a Beam Global charger at Reedley Municipal Airport in Fresno County, California, we see a no-fuss way to bring EV charging to aviation – even in remote locations. Beam Global premises its installations on a foursome of negatives: No permitting, no construction, no electrical work, and no utility bill. Installation, if one believes Beam’s video, is almost a non-event. Beam, formerly Envision Solar, produces pre-fabricated EV ARC solar-powered charging stations. Like a vacation camper, the ARCs can be towed right onto a level piece of property and dropped off. The units are self-contained and can produce electricity from the sheltering overhead solar panels. A driver or pilot can park on or next to the metal platform and charge their electric …