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High Voltage

** The Volt packs 700 pounds of lithium-ion
batteries under the floor. These batteries will
take you 40 miles.**
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article introduces the concept of plug-in hybrid airplanes, drawing parallels with extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt.
  • Hybrid aircraft could offer increased fuel efficiency (potentially 25% lower consumption) and extended range by combining traditional internal combustion engines with electric motors and battery power.
  • Significant challenges exist for hybrid aircraft, including the complexity, added weight, and cost compared to conventional designs, with the author questioning if efficiency gains will justify these trade-offs.
  • While experimental hybrid aircraft are being developed, current battery technology and system complexity limit their ability to meet the performance standards for practical, high-performance personal aviation.
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(December 2011) For the past week I have been driving a Chevy Volt. The Volt, as you are undoubtedly aware, is a plug-in hybrid — GM’s, and I believe America’s, first mass-produced car of this type. I was staying at Truro, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, and it was fun to make a 25-mile round trip to Provincetown for breakfast every morning without ever using a drop of gas. No doubt the euphoria of independence from the gas pumps to which I have been tethered all my life would eventually have worn off, but during my brief affair with the Volt, I loved it dearly. We took our host out to dinner to make up for the blip in her electric bill.

Why am I telling you this? Because we are entering the age of the plug-in hybrid airplane.

Peter Garrison

Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.

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