Colorado-based electric aviation startup Bye Aerospace is currently best known for its two-seater eFlyer 2 aircraft. That may soon change, though, as the company has now unveiled a planned battery-powered eight-seater.
Named the eFlyer 800, the turboprop class airplane will be able to seat a maximum of seven passengers, along with one or two pilots in front.
Thrust will be provided by two wing-mounted ENGINeUS electric motors, manufactured by project partner Safran Electrical & Power. These will be powered by quad-redundant lithium battery packs, for an estimated range of 500 nautical miles per charge (575 miles/926 km). The plane will have a rate of climb of 3,400 feet (1,036 m) per minute, and a ceiling of 35,000 feet (10,668 m).
In the event that the batteries or anything else should fail, the eFlyer 800 will also be equipped with a full-airplane parachute. Other features will include an emergency auto-landing system with built-in terrain avoidance, plus the options of solar cells for helping to keep the batteries charged, and electric motors in the wheels for taxiing.
According to the company, the eFlyer 800 should have only one-fifth the operating costs of traditional twin turboprops. It will also produce no direct carbon dioxide emissions, and should be considerably quieter than traditional non-electric aircraft.
"Bye Aerospace is very early in the process for determining pricing, but a four to six year timeline is a reasonable initial estimate for availability," CEO George E. Bye tells us. "We are taking paid purchase deposits and will be announcing initial customers soon."
Source: Bye Aerospace
