Would you fly in an e-plane? University of Waterloo researcher says it could be the future of the skies
CBC
Vehicles powered by electricity may soon no longer be limited to the ground, with research in Canada progressing into the testing of e-planes.
In Ontario, researchers at the University of Waterloo have partnered with Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC) to test Velis Electro, a small e-plane that runs on batteries similar to an electric vehicle.
The team is doing tests on the e-plane's batteries to see how well they can withstand flight at different elevations and weather conditions. They are also testing the e-plane's capacity for short-distance travel.
"We were flying down the Grand River … It was so beautiful," Mehrdad Pirnia, lead researcher at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics and associate professor at UW's Management Science and Engineering Department, told CBC News.
He said he "totally forgot about the freaky nature" of a noiseless plane once he was up in the air.
Pirnia said his team is utilizing "a very slow approach" to testing the Velis Electro's batteries.
"We started by just charging and discharging the batteries of the electric plane while they are on the ground," he said.
Pirnia and his team then test the e-planes by doing circuits, where pilots take off, put the planes into high power until they reach 305 metres, do some circuits at that elevation and then land. Pirnia said they repeat those circuits seven times.
The team is doing upper air exercises and testing the batteries' capacity by conducting intercity test flights.
"We started by flying to Guelph and coming back with one charge," he said. "We had a charger installed in Brantford. From here to Brantford, charging the e-plane, and then coming back again. We came back with around 60 per cent of charge."
Zachary Taylor is a flight instructor at WWFC who flies the Velis Electro for pilot training. He said in an interview that the battery technology is what's holding back the e-plane at the moment.
He said, when flying the e-plane for lessons, "there's no dilly-dallying, and maybe you don't double up on lessons" because of limitations on the battery's capacity.
"You just kind of stick to one item at a time, and always [be] aware of … how much charge is left in the battery essentially."
Pirnia said the Velis's range can depend on many factors, including the "e-plane's power setting, altitude, speed and the amount of battery reserve that should [be left] in the battery in case of emergency."
Vehicles powered by electricity may soon no longer be limited to the ground, with research in Canada progressing into the testing of e-planes.
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