Experts hope the X-57 can provide data to help the aviation industry transform.
Later this year, the X-57 Maxwell, a small experimental plane powered solely by electricity, will hopefully take to the skies. The latest in a long line of, or experimental aircraft, the X-57’s demonstration will be used to prove that the craft’s unique design works.
“What’s really exciting about electric propulsion technology is it gives aircraft designers so many new and interesting tools that we can use to make aircraft do interesting things and do them more efficiently,” saysAlthough the aircraft won’t ever be in production, industry experts are keen to see the kind of results the plane’s technology will produce.
“Having the two motors at the wingtips, and then 12 smaller ones spread out along the wing, was kind of a good trade off between having the best performing wing effects versus having a much more complex electrical distribution system,” says Clarke.These motors are easy to build, but unlike gas-powered engines, they use complex software, or advanced motor controllers, to drive them.
“These same technologies could really increase the availability of transportation, especially in urban areas,” says Clarke. “If we can show that this is reliable enough for aircraft designers to make commercial aircraft based on these technologies, it could have a huge impact on the availability of aviation for the public.
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