NASA unveils project to develop an all-electric airplane

New York Times : On 17 June NASA administrator Charles Bolden announced that the agency is developing an all-electric airplane. Designated the X-57 , the relatively small plane will have 14 motors embedded in its wings and a cruising speed of around 282 km/hr. Only two of the motors—60 kW each, driving 1.5 m propellers—will be used while the plane is cruising. The other dozen motors, 9 kW each and driving 0.6 m propellers, will be used during takeoff and landing; the propellers will be folded away when unused. The additional propellers are necessary because the wings are much narrower than traditional wings, which makes them more efficient for cruising but less so for takeoff. The project is starting from an extant plane, the four-seat Tecnam P2006T. The conversion will entail replacing the passenger seats with battery packs and adding instruments for the pilot. The battery capacity should allow the plane to be airborne for about an hour; NASA is investigating the use of fuel cells instead of batteries to increase the flight time. The agency also expects to be able to scale up the technology for commuter and regional airlines.