Prototype electric plane crash kills two pilots

An electric plane powered by Siemens has crashed in southern Hungary, killing both pilots aboard, according to Siemens and local reports. The Magnus eFusion aircraft was flown as part of an inauguration for Magnus' new headquarters, but crashed near the airport after performing several circuits, police said. The eFusion is still a prototype, but Magnus, based in Hungry, plans to eventually commercialize and sell it for around $200,000.

The cause of the accident isn't known, and there are conflicting reports as to whether the aircraft caught fire before or during the crash. "We cannot comment on eventual causes or any circumstances at this point of time. We are working closely together with the authorities to clarify the cause of the accident," Siemens said in a statement. "As a precautionary measure we decided to ground the Magnus eFusion aircraft fleet until we know the cause of this tragic accident."

The eFusion has a number of lithium-ion batteries at the front of the aircraft, ahead of the pilots. Those power Seimens' record-breaking SP55D electric motor (above) that puts out 260 KW and weighs just 110 pounds. The use of lithium-ion cells in passenger jets has been controversial after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was grounded following several battery failures. However, the safety of batteries that directly power small aircraft motors has yet to be tested to large degree, as there aren't many flying yet.

The eFusion is capable of aerobatics, and will be sold with a ballistic recovery parachute system similar to that on Cirrus models and the Icon A5. It's not known if the test plane was equipped with the parachute system or whether it would have helped save the pilots in the crash.

Siemens has been working on electric and electric-hybrid planes like the DA36 E-Star powered glider for a number of years. One of its latest projects is an electric passenger plane called the E-Fan X that it's developing with Airbus and Rolls Royce.

Via: Avweb

Source: Siemens, Daily News Hungary



via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2M1FvQO
RSS Feed

If New feed item from http://www.engadget.com/rss-full.xml, then send me

IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evernote cuts staff as user growth stalls

Image
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to
Read more

The best air conditioner

Image
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic
Read more

We won't see a 'universal' vape oil cartridge anytime soon

Image
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs?
Read more