A Pennsylvania company has won a $1.35 million prize from NASA for developing a highly efficient airplane power by electricity.
Pipistrel-USA.com of State College earned the top prize in the CAFE Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, NASA announced Monday.
The plane developed by Pipistrel doubled the fuel efficiency requirement for the competition – flying 200 miles in less than two hours while using less than a gallon of fuel per occupant or the equivalent in electricity. The winning plane used a little more than a half-gallon of fuel per passenger for the 200-mile flight.
Team Pipistrel-USA.com was one of 14 entrants in the competition, which began two years ago. In total, the 14 teams invested $4 million in the competition, according to NASA.
"Two years ago the thought of flying 200 miles at 100 mph in an electric aircraft was pure science fiction," Jack W. Langelaan, team leader of Team Pipistrel-USA.com, said in statement. "Now, we are all looking forward to the future of electric aviation."
Second place, and a $120,000 prize, went to Team eGenius of Ramona, California, whose leader, Eric Raymond, congratulated Team Pipistrel.
The winning aircraft, the Pipistrel Taurus G4, is a four-seat, twin-fuselage aircraft powered by a 145-kilowatt brushless electric motor driving a two-blade propeller mounted on a spar between the fuselages. The plane's wingspan is about 75 feet.
"I'm proud that Pipistrel won. They've been a leader in getting these things into production, and the team really deserves it, and worked hard to win this prize," Raymond said in a NASA statement.
"Electric aircraft have moved beyond science fiction and are now in the realm of practice," Joe Parrish, acting chief technologist at NASA headquarters in Washington, said in a statement.
The planes flew last week out of Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in California. Only three of the 14 entrants made it into the air, according to The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. The airport is home to the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation, which organized the competition with NASA.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help | CNN Newsource | License Footage
meme ok, but 400mpg. I do not care what they call it. I have one of the those Hybrid SUV's it gets less than 40mpg about 38 I still find myself complaining about gas mileage and fuel cost. I do not see that in this planes future. We as a people need to stop complaining and look at the big picture. What this would mean in the future is enormous the applications for this motor and charging system are endless.
Pakistan spends more donor dollars from the United States every 30 minutes than what this prize was worth. Stop paying ransom money to Pakistan and start investing more at home.
i don't think it's paid in cash,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,very likely the money is paid by products or service from CONTRACTORS SUCH AS vice president's company,,,,,,,,,,,
Some of you here do not read or should I say comprehend what you are reading very well. The plane was built here in the USA by students at a Penn State Col. It says nothing about any foriegn country being involved and even if it did or was some such country what would that matter. It is still innovation at it highest form.
Read it again. It was not students at a Penn State College, it was a company in the town of State College, Pennsylvania.
@Mobes...as a studet at penn state right now, the only reason companies do research in state college is because of funding provided directly or indirectly by the university....that means students doing research with professors or professors doing something on the side. most likely it was engineering students, but then again i haven't read the paper today ;-)
Yes we could use the new motor in the cars. The use of carbon fiber and reduction in the weight will be a great help in the future of automobile industry.
Good call, but I for one would be hesitant to be driving a carbon fiber car in a sea of SUVs. Would not want to get in an accident (especially with 200 lbs of battery behind my head). We have to find a way to get lighter and develop battery packs without sacrificing safety. Does carbon fiber conduct electricity? Have you heard about the Prius' that can't be opened with Jaws of life due to risk of electrocution? We have a lot of work to do. I just hope that people are finally willing to do it.
Tesla uses carbon fiber. Their cars are $120K. The average Joe can't afford this.
Actually, there is a car available right now with similar technology. (Electric drive with onboard gas generator for providing electricity to the electric motor once the charge is depleted.) It's the Chevrolet Volt. I don't know about the Prius, but the Volt is a heavier car and during testing, extraction of occupants from a severe crash did not require any more effort than a regular car and electrocution was not a factor.
Dan,
If carbon fiber is good enough for Formula 1, it should be good enough for you. Safety is not an issue with carbon fiber. I'd rather get in an accident in an electric carbon fiber car, than in a metal car loaded with gasoline. Actually, I'd rather not get in an accident in either.
Carbon fiber is stronger than steel... and more costly. It has to be properly structured and cured to achieve the performance of steel. You cannot currently afford to drive a car of carbon fiber.
This is when you will get me to be a test pilot or fly one of these "experimental" planes....
NEVER...
And I've been flying planes for almost 20 years....
@Darth Vadik, CA. The fact that you are a pilot adds nothing to the fact that you don't want to fly an electric aircraft. I envy you as a pilot and weep for you as an innovator.
Let me guess your thoughts, “If it aint broke don’t fix it.” You're certainly no Charles Lindbergh sir.
And if people around the time of the Wright brothers had said that, well, you know....
Experimentation involves risk. Progress requires experimentation.
Fortunately, there will always be those who are willing to risk to innovate.
Oh and by the way NASA=USA.
WHATEVER,,,the money is spend in USA,,,,,not that bad,,,,,,
Laudible efforts, but we don't have the money for this any more. We are broke. All of these "nickels and dimes" add up to the horrible financial shape we're in. It all must be cut. Again, we're broke. Our government cannot afford to assist in the development of anything. That's reserved for richer countries. Free enterprise is going to have to do R&D or it won't be done at all. And hey, I'm a private pilot, I love this stuff! And as a private pilot, I can tell you first hand that they need to stop giving so much money – or any at all – to subsidize general aviation. Again, we're broke.
Yeah, we don't have money to find ways to make ourselves more efficient – it's too expensive! /sarcasm
Come on,, the dark side of congress bought by the oil companies will not allow the real fuel efficiency ,,,,,,,,,,think about what happened to the solar panel made in USA,,,,,,,,,,
You may want to fix the typo in the first sentence.
abuka baka
How aobut the eelctrc palne? Taht's all you hvave to say is the tpyo? You msut be a vrey sad preson.
have fun and a good night,,,,,,,,,,,,
Tyrell USR
MOBES you are correct about the town name.
I wonder if the requirements included the takeoff and landing phase of the flight, or was it straight and level for 200 miles @ 100mph?
Like everyone in the world should move to California and like we should all surf to work and save the world one wave at a time.
Pilotted by the Energizer Bunny?
This is huge...congratulations. The US should continue to strive to succeed with great research like this. If we don't develop it another country will. Great work to all the guys/gals who worked on the project!
yes, the other country did develop it. IT is SLOVENIA. PIPISTREL is from SLOVENIA not USA. THEY won for the fourth time. Maybe now American comanies will wake up, when a tiny company from a small 2 million people contry can beat them for the fourth time.