WATTsUP, The New 2-Seat Electric Airplane First Flew Last Friday

Marking its 25th anniversary, Pipistrel will be unveiling the proof-of-concept WATTsUP 2-seat electric trainer at Salon de Blois airshow in France on August 30-31. In preparation for the show the airplane made its first flight on Friday.

WATTsUP was developed in partnership with Siemens AG, which provided the electric main propulsion components, and represents the next generation of Pipistrel's electric aircraft. Every single element of aircraft has been refined to be lighter, more efficient and more reliable. The 85 kW electric motor only weighs 30 pounds and is more powerful than the popular Rotax 912 series, typically used on microlights and LSAs. The 17 kWh battery pack is dual-redundant and designed to be either quickly replaceable within minutes or charged in less than one hour, thanks to the next generation of Pipistrel's Battery Management technology. The airframe uses proven features from hundreds of Pipistrel's aircraft flying worldwide.

Performance of the WATTsUP 2-seat electric trainer is tailored to the needs of flight schools. Short take-off distance, powerful 1000+ fpm climb, and endurance of one hour plus a 30 minute reserve. The WATTsUP is optimized for traffic-pattern operations, where 13% of energy is recuperated on every approach, increasing endurance and at the same time enabling short-field landings.

"With the ever growing cost of fuel it is time to rethink pilot training," said Ivo Boscarol, CEO of Pipistrel. "Our solution is the first practical all-electric trainer! Technologies developed specially for this aircraft cut the cost of ab-initio pilot training by as much as 70%, making flying more affordable than ever before. Being able to conduct training on smaller airfields closer to towns with zero C02 emissions and minimum noise is also a game changer! WATTsUP meets microlight and ASTM LSA criteria, as well as standards for electric propulsion and is already certified in France. More countries will follow soon and we are applying for an exemption with the FAA to allow training operations as an S-LSA. WATTsUP is our 5th electric aircraft project and the second to result in a commercial product."

“Siemens is developing electric drive systems with highest power-to-weight ratio for aircraft propulsion," said Frank Anton, Executive Vice President Traction Drives, Large Drives, Siemens AG. "Only with innovation we can solve the problems of rising fuel costs, rising passenger demand and rising environmental regulations," says Frank Anton, the initiator of electric aircraft development at Siemens. "Innovations used in the WATTsUP will be instrumental in making aviation more sustainable in the long run. As electric drives are scalable, we can expect, that in the future also larger aircraft will use electric propulsion. The world is becoming electric, whether in the air, on land or at sea.”

Pipistrel expects to bring the final product to the market in 2015 with a target price below 100,000 EUR (approx $132,000).

(Images provided by Pipistrel)

FMI: www.pipistrel.si