Mockup of E-plane version 2.0
The E-fan plane from Airbus Group is a fully electric aircraft that operates exclusively via twin 30kw fan engines powered by 120 lithium polymer batteries stored in its 31 ft. wings. Built of carbon fiber composites it weighs only 1100 pounds and can stay aloft from 45 to 60 minutes. Its batteries can be recharged in one hour, according to Airbus. The two-seater is CO2 emission-free and nearly silent in flight. Since its first flight on 11 March 2014, the E-fan plane has now performed 100 test flights with more than 49 flight hours in total. Its most recent demonstrator flight was at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on Friday, June 19.
An electric motor placed on the aft main wheel provides power for taxiing. Take off speed of the two seater is 68 mph, cruise speed is 99 mph and the aircraft has a maximum speed of 136 mph. A cockpit mockup for the production two-seat E-fan, designated version 2.0, also was on display at Paris. The mockup featured a new carbon-fiber shell and a “Connected Cockpit” panel. Adjustment for a pilot’s height is achieved using a movable bar for the rudder pedals, one of the few moving parts in the cockpit.
Airbus says it is only building E-fan jets for entry-level pilot training and to that end the new instrument panel in v 2.0 has a fixed primary flight display on the left side and a plug-in computer tablet on the right, called the navigation and training display (NTD). When removed from the cockpit, the NTD can serve as either an interactive training device or a debriefing tool to enable the pilot to review or prepare for a flight with an instructor.
Airbus has established a subsidiary named Voltair to build the aircraft in a new factory in the city of Pau in southwestern France. The E-fan 2.0 is scheduled to fly in 2016 for delivery beginning in 2017.