Harbour Air switching to battery powered planes

[Human Factor]

Off the water today!

https://www.cheknews.ca/harbour-air-tes ... ay-628812/

[7ECA]

So they essentially made a Turbo Beaver, cool. As in, same horsepower as the -34 powered bird.

I wonder what the range/endurance of a Beaver with what likely amounts to 1,500 pounds of batteries tucked in her belly amounts to...

[C-GGGQ]

So far advertised as good for a 30 minute sight seeing flight with reserves. I get electricity is cheaper than avgas, but I gotta figure that sight seeing flight won't be cheap. Also I don't remember what the charge time was after such a flight. Wonder how many they can actually accomplish in a day? At any rate good proof of concept at least.

[Heliian]

3 minute flight accomplished for the media.

Looks pretty good, I'm impressed.

[iflyforpie]

Remember. Just over 80 years ago the worlds first jet aircraft had an endurance of about ten minutes. Its engine was far less reliable than this one. 20 years later, jet aircraft were flying hundreds of people across the Atlantic non-stop.

Battery charging might be an issue. Perhaps they can be swapped after each flight.

[corethatthermal]

Im thinking a very long extension cord OR a high output small hydrogen or Natural gas engine to charge the batteries in flight ! The engine/Gen option could be very fuel efficient , lightweight and environmentally green with the added ADVANTAGE of being certified to a much less stringent set of standards due to the batteries lasting for 30 minutes if the engine/generator fails! The generator could also directly supply the motor with the required juice and the batteries be used as a back-up.

[The Mole]

This isn't really about an E-beaver for the GreeNDP's commuting to Victoria. Its about certifying an Aero electric motor. Twin motor aircraft with only one gas turbine/generator? Adding boost to small gas turbines? In the short term harbour air get government money and publicity.

[plhought]

I haven't heard anything about Harbour Air gettin' "guberment" money for any of this. If they did I'm sure Horgan or some other government big wig would have been jabbering away at last week's media events.

I'm curious how they control a traditional oil-pressure/spring constant speed prop with the electric motor. How have they adapted the propeller control to work without a gearbox and oil source like a traditional piston/turbine would be interesting.

Honestly though I the most realistic commerical use of future electric aviation 'motors' would be hybrid designs utilizing a gas turbine driven electric generator powering the engine/engines.

Airbus have an Avro RJ in the works to be modified to demonstrate this, and I think there was even someone working on throwing a big APU and electric motor on a Dash-8-100 demonstrator.

[RebelCFTQC]

The prop looks interesting. I wonder if it is has an electric motor for pitch change like MT, looks like hartzel blades.

[Beefitarian]

Is just the e-beaver that colour?

I just watched Bob Falfa race his '55 chevy against John Milner in a Duece coupe that looked a bit like that.

[JUNKYARDDOG]

wondering why Elon Musk isn't playing with E-planes...… i don't think we're there yet

[linecrew]

First flight of a Magnix electric powered Caravan is today: https://www.magnix.aero/ecaravan/