Alice: Electric plane

Cap'n Jack said:
Sell what to the public? Lyten sells batteries. The general public can use those for all sorts of things, including home-built cars or aircraft. Lycoming sells some engines to the public that aren't integrated into type certificated airplanes, but you can use them to make your own airplane or air boat.
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And where can I buy those Lyten batteries for my EVTOL concept?

Since the last time you mentioned Lyten back in September, they've done...nothing. No products. No investors. Their claims of "partnerships" with the DoD and US Space Force are vapor. The funds involved are a couple of million dollars.

Oh, sure, it was announced they were going to build a pilot plant. So did, uh, what was their name? Oh, yeah. Oxis. Remember them?

I see you posted a link above to their dead website.


OXIS Energy Lithium-Sulfur Batteries To Be Produced In Brazil
OXIS Energy is progressing on the way to commercialize its lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery, which already offers energy density of more than 400 Wh/kg.

Feb 16, 2019 at 12:00pm ET
By: Mark Kane
OXIS Energy attracted $60 million investment to build small production facility

OXIS Energy is progressing on the way to commercialize its lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery, which already offers energy density of more than 400 Wh/kg and by the end of 2019 are expected to improve to 500 Wh/kg.

The company signed contract with CODEMGE PARTICIPACOES SA, a public company incorporated in the city of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil to establish lithium-sulfur cells plant.

The facility will be managed by OXIS Energy Brazil Holdings, and according to press release, production capacity to be 2 million cells per year in 2022 (first phase) with further expansion plan to 5 million cells.

Back in 2019, you chastised me for having the temerity to suggest Oxis was an empty shell. And today? They've disappeared. The company declared insolvency.

Now the trendy thing to do is say...

"SOLID STATE BATTERY"

No doubt this will for sure be that breakthrough.

In the meantime, I'm gonna call Harbour Air and see if I can get a ride in one of their fleet of electrified Beavers.
 
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Didn't see this posted up on the thread yet, so here we go. It flew!

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...c-aircraft-alice-has-flown-for-the-first-time

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and video

there's a few good ones out there on social media, and linked in the article above, without all the music so you can actually here how it sounds




...regardless of the debates about true carbon footprint, total environmental costs, the viability of a 9 passenger 250 mile plane, etc. it is great to see something turn from potential vaporware into a thing that actually flies. That's a big step.. and this is actually a true clean sheet design; not just a battery and motor strapped to an existing frame.
 
A flight to keep the dollars coming in and to check pitch stability with that small tail. I can’t do one traffic pattern in 8 minutes. And they announced that the plane for certification isn’t this one. $$$$$
 
A great achievement. I think this is the first purpose-built electric passenger plane. And it's a beauty.
 
Exactly. Politics and all that aside it's great to see something take to the air that is not just a refreshed King Air or update on an existing design
 
Dan Thomas said:
Yup. He invented (I think) the assembly line.
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genna said:
He didn't invent it. Just introduced it to and perfected(in a specific way) it for Model T manufacturing
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Henry Ford just happened to hire the right people.

Charles Sorenson and William Knudsen were responsible for the development of the assembly line, but more importantly, mass production that followed. When manufacturing repeatability became possible, the automobile industry showed the way to American productivity and prosperity. It changed the world. Those two men generated the greatest innovation in the history of mankind.
 
3393RP said:
Henry Ford just happened to hire the right people.

Charles Sorenson and William Knudsen were responsible for the development of the assembly line, but more importantly, mass production that followed. When manufacturing repeatability became possible, the automobile industry showed the way to American productivity and prosperity. It changed the world. Those two men generated the greatest innovation in the history of mankind.
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Go earlier. @wanttaja can probably collaborate this as he a bit of a naval historian, too. During the Napoleonic wars, the Royal Navy needed so many blocks (ships' pulleys) that they started mass producing them in 1803. They had steam-driven machinery with different stations for different operations to make a block. Each manufacturing operation ensured repeatability.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_production#cite_note-Pulleys-14

The roots of mass production were in the pre-industrial ages as well.
 
There is also a story that the idea for the assembly line came from watching a slaughterhouse in operation. Animals were hung up and moved on an overhead conveyor system. As the carcass moved, a different operation would be performed. It was a disassembly line. The story is that Henry saw this, and had the idea of putting a car together in a similar process.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Go earlier. @wanttaja can probably collaborate this as he a bit of a naval historian, too. During the Napoleonic wars, the Royal Navy needed so many blocks (ships' pulleys) that they started mass producing them in 1803. They had steam-driven machinery with different stations for different operations to make a block. Each manufacturing operation ensured repeatability.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_production#cite_note-Pulleys-14

The roots of mass production were in the pre-industrial ages as well.
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The history of those blocks and also the roperies that made rigging for the fleets is certainly interesting. There is an operating ropery in the UK, at the site of the former Chatham Royal Navy Dockyard.

Videos of rope production are fascinating. Well, to me anyway.

https://thedockyard.co.uk/explore/the-victorian-ropery/

 
Thats it! Alice launched via steam catapult like on an aircraft carrier, possibly with JATO rockets. Then it can just putter along at altitude sipping electrons, lol.
 
3393RP said:
The history of those blocks and also the roperies that made rigging for the fleets is certainly interesting. There is an operating ropery in the UK, at the site of the former Chatham Royal Navy Dockyard.

Videos of rope production are fascinating. Well, to me anyway.

https://thedockyard.co.uk/explore/the-victorian-ropery/

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It's a bit mesmerizing how everything spins around to make a line.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Thats it! Alice launched via steam catapult like on an aircraft carrier, possibly with JATO rockets. Then it can just putter along at altitude sipping electrons, lol.
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bflynn said:
Is Alice a glider?

Or do they just get going really, really fast, climb high and glide the other 190 nm?
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Half Fast said:
Would you buy a plane designed by engineers who are this poor at math?
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Or just consider someone who posted the information didn't proofread it.
The presumably original source says 260 knots maximum speed, and 250 nautical miles range
https://www.eviation.com/aircraft/
 
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I am so concerned about the use of fossil fuels that I have installed a charging station at my private strip to accommodate the new electric planes.
So when you land at Grand Oaks Plantation (1GA6) you will be able to re-fuel , do not forget to do a W&B before you leave.
 
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