Electric Airplanes, Helicopters and Cars, Oh My!

Sikorsky Electric Helicopter Demonstrator

Sikorski Electric Heli

August was a busy month for the renewable energy industry, and particularly so in the electric vehicle market!  I recently met with several aviation notables to discuss the future of electric aircraft and the state of the industry. Eric Lindbergh, Burt Rutan and Bertrand Piccard were all headliners at the Experimental Aircraft Convention in Oshkosh, WI. While Dave Nadler had the only electric powered aircraft flying into the show, many other groups had displays of vehicles under development. And even Sikorsky showed an electric technology helicopter demonstrator. This was all notable following GM’s announcement of the final pricing of the Chevy Volt. One group, MTS, showed me an electric burst motor for Formula 1 racing use that provides 80hp in the size of a 16oz can of soda. Wow! This is getting interesting. More to come.

2016-10-12T16:44:32-04:00