Best of What's New 2011

Aviation & Space

Pipistrel Taurus G4

First electric four-seater plane
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Pipistrel Taurus G4 Courtesy Pipistrel

This year the Slovenian company Pipistrel put the world’s first four-seat electric plane in the air. Built for competition in the 2011 NASA/Google Green Flight Challenge, the aircraft is composed of two smaller Pipistrel Taurus G2 gliders connected by a horizontal spar. With a 450-pound lithium-ion battery pack, a six-foot twin-blade propeller and a 75-foot wingspan, the G4 can take off under its own power and cruise 200 miles on a single charge.

2 Comments

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Robert1234
11/18/11 at 4:34 am

Robert1234 This is truly cool! With a on-board power plant, it might fly forever. And using it's own turbulence to produce more power, perhaps longer (yeah, I know. I just couldn't resist.")

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jjrb230
01/16/12 at 7:31 pm

I'm beginning to worry -just a little less- about oil supplies.
Juan J. Ramirez
(Inventor of HotSmart Heat Retentive Plates)

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