In a big leap for the electrification of aviation, an Extra Aircraft aerobatic plane performed its maiden flight with an electric powertrain. The crucial component was a world record motor from Siemens. Weighing a mere 50 kilograms, the motor has an output of 260 kilowatts, resulting in an unparalleled power-to-weight ratio.
The Siemens Extra 330 LE is a two-seat aerobatic and completely silent aircraft fitted with a Siemens-electric engine,the aircraft reached an altitude of 3,000m in just four minutes and 22 seconds & it reached a top speed of 337.50km/h over a distance of three kilometres.
The motor has been specially designed for use in aircraft. Thanks to its record-setting power-to-weight ratio, larger aircraft with takeoff weights of up to two tons will now be able to use electric drives for the first time.
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The performance of the drive systems used in electric vehicles is about two kW per kg. Since the new motor delivers its record-setting performance at rotational speeds of just 2,500 revolutions per minute, it can drive propellers directly, without the use of a transmission.
