Tag: Pipistrel
Pipistrel and Green Motion May Change the Future of Electric Aircraft Charging
Electric General Aviation aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel and electric vehicle charging pioneer, Green Motion, are announcing a game changing partnership to develop a “universal, future-proof, environmentally friendly, ‘turnkey'” charging technology for electric airplanes. This new charging infrastructure will be in line with regulations from EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. By obtaining of the first ever type certificate for an...

Pipistrel and Green Motion May Change the Future of Electric Aircraft Charging

Electric General Aviation aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel and electric vehicle charging pioneer, Green Motion, are announcing a game changing partnership to develop a “universal, future-proof, environmentally friendly, ‘turnkey'” charging technology for electric airplanes. This new charging infrastructure will be in line with regulations from EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
By obtaining of the first ever type certificate for an electric airplane from EASA for its Velis Elctro aircraft, Pipistrel has affirmed that the electric market in Europe and the U.S will grow. With its FLIGHT XT, one of the world’s first electric airplane chargers already in use in two airports in Switzerland, Green Motion has gained extensive knowledge of electric airplane charging.
While Pipistrel is shaping the aviation industry by developing and delivering a cutting-edge electric airplane, Green Motion is simultaneously raising the bar in electric vehicle charging for cars, two-wheelers, trucks, airplanes, and even Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Both companies put user experience and exceptional quality first, in order to foster environmentally friendly and affordable transportation.
Now, the two companies are joining forces to create a “future-proof” electric airplane charging solution that will last and evolve with the latest technologies on the market. Another focus during development of the technology will be turnkey installation combined with a photovoltaic system, as solar technologies also help airports receive subsidies. Charging modules can also be complemented with cutting-edge energy storage to enable fully self-contained systems. Ultimately, Pipistrel and Green Motion envision an entire a network of electric airplane charging stations; leveraging Green Motion’s software expertise and history of success in creating and operating networks for ground-based EV’s.
Ivo Boscarol, Founder and president of Pipistrel commented: “I am dedicating my life to contributing to a cleaner atmosphere and emission-free aviation. Type certifying the first all-electric airplane was the
necessary step towards this goal. As part of the endeavor, Pipistrel was forced to develop and produce almost everything in house, including the chargers. However, to assure a significant change to cleaner atmosphere, widespread use of electric aircraft is a must, and we need to spread the network of chargers to airports all over the world. This cannot be achieved by Pipistrel alone, but with a skilled and distinguished partner as Green Motion, this becomes a reality. I am happy that our SkyCharge stations will grow further with its potential into a common new brand SkyCharge by Green Motion and Pipistrel, to offer electric aircraft users a breakthrough, connected and a turn key service all over the world”.
François Randin, Founder and CEO of Green Motion said, “Green Motion has worked on electric airplane and UAM charging solutions for over two years. We see the beginning of this new market like we did more than 11 years ago with electric cars. After being a pioneer for electric cars, we are now a trail blazer in electric aircrafts charging too. That is why we are so proud and honoured to partner with Pipistrel, a world-renowned aircraft producer which has complementary technology and mindset to ours, so we can define the future of electric planes together.”
Why it’s important: Pipistrel and Green Motion, two companies with revolutionary ideas and cutting-edge electric solutions, are now putting their world class engineering teams together to shape and define the future of electric planes. Together, they hope to deliver the best flight experiences possible through reducing the cost, carbon emissions, and noise pollution of general aviation flight. The eventual goal of these companies is to establish a universal technology network across all airports and vertiports for electric flight, which may lead to a worldwide standard in electric airplane charging in the near future.
Source // Pipistrel press release
Pipistrel Advances on New Cargo and Hydrogen-Powered Passenger Air Vehicles
The Pipistrel eVTOL Concept was unveiled at the 2nd annual Uber Elevate Summit on May 8th, 2018 in Los Angeles, CA. Previously designed as a blended wing body (BWB), the new 801 eVTOL features 8 lift rotors mounted on a lifting surface inboard of the wing. The Pipistrel team also announced that an entire family of eVTOL’s was being developed...

Pipistrel Advances on New Cargo and Hydrogen-Powered Passenger Air Vehicles

The Pipistrel eVTOL Concept was unveiled at the 2nd annual Uber Elevate Summit on May 8th, 2018 in Los Angeles, CA. Previously designed as a blended wing body (BWB), the new 801 eVTOL features 8 lift rotors mounted on a lifting surface inboard of the wing. The Pipistrel team also announced that an entire family of eVTOL’s was being developed for scalability and mission-tailored performance.
However, the Slovenian electric aircraft manufacturer has recently announced a shift in its priorities away from it’s plan to develop the Pipistrel 801 eVTOL for Uber Air’s mobility service. This comes “after delays with the Uber flying taxi program by many international aviation authorities,” the company said. “Continual extensions to the deadline for the development of a flying taxi service, which was commissioned by U.S. company Uber, has given Pipistrel the time to investigate future opportunities, some [of which] have been in planning and development for several years.”
The Uber Air services are set to launch from 2023 in one or more of the early-adopter cities the company has identified, including Dallas, Los Angeles, and Melbourne, Australia.
Related: Uber Air Stands Up First Flying Taxi Test Site
Meanwhile, Pipistrel has advanced its research and development efforts to serve other transport applications, and has revealed plans for two new cargo aircraft as well as a hydrogen-powered 10-seat regional airliner. One of the cargo aircraft now being advanced by Pipistrel is of a similar design to the 801 eVTOL and would carry a payload of 660 pounds approximately 200 miles. In an interview, the company said that it plans to deliver the first aircraft to an undisclosed customer in Asia during 2022 but, for now, has released no more details on its performance and specifications.
The second cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing design based on Pipistrel Alpha Electro electric light aircraft. It is being developed to be remotely piloted or manned and would be used for missions such as humanitarian relief, with packages being dropped from pods on each side of the wing and a cargo payload of almost 250 pounds.
In addition, Pipistrel is working with a group of European companies to develop a 19-passenger, hydrogen-powered aircraft that would fly routes of up to 300 miles at around one-quarter of the operational cost of conventional aircraft. The company reported it is in the final stages of testing a dual hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and said the Miniliner concept could be ready to enter service in 2028.
Why it’s important: The socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 are evident in the aerial mobility industry. Shifts in focus, as demonstrated by Pipistrel, are the key to not only surviving financially, but also making a lasting impact that could expedite worldwide health service efforts. Pipistrel’s second cargo aircraft has potential to provide relief in locations across the globe where the pandemic is most prevalent.
Source // AINOnline
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