Siemens To Provide Propulsion System For An Electric Version Of Texas Aircraft’s New LSA
Texas Aircraft Manufacturing and Siemens eAircraft announced today that the two companies have entered into a new cooperative effort in the field of electric flight. Siemens is providing a propulsion system for the electrically powered version of Texas Aircraft’s new Colt LSA electrical demonstrator.
“What we are making today is an incredibly exciting announcement not only for Texas Aircraft and Siemens eAircraft, but for the entire flight training industry,” Texas Aircraft Manufacturing’s Founding Partner, Matheus Grande said. “To be able to partner with Siemens eAircraft in this program and installing their electric propulsion unit with a new-generation SP55D electric motor on our Colt airframe is a testament to the engineering and manufacturing efforts we have put into our new-generation LSA.”
“We are very proud to be able to support Texas Aircraft with our systems,” said Dr. Frank Anton, Executive Vice President eAircraft at Siemens, “and we are confident projects like this are key to developing electric flight further.”
“The availability to offer a version of our new Colt LSA that is powered by a new-generation Siemens eAircraft electric motor will give both private owners and flight schools the option of having an airplane that’s not only fun to fly, but will also be extremely environmentally friendly,” Grande said. “With 72kW of peak takeoff power, the electric Colt will perform very comparably with the gasoline powered Colt, which is to say, it will have very good performance.”
Along with the SP55D electric motor, Siemens eAircraft will be providing the system’s inverter and auxiliary control components.
About the Siemens eAircraft electric propulsion system:
- SP55D - Synchronous direct-drive electric motor with maximum takeoff power (MTOP) with a two-minute limit of 72kW at 3,000 RPM.
- Maximum continuous power (MCP) of 55kW at 3,000 RPM
- EPUIII – modular electric propulsion unit including vehicle control unit, cockpit control unit, inverter, power supply unit and battery system master controller
Grande said that there is an engineering prototype of the Siemens eAircraft SP55D motor mounted on a Colt airframe on display at the Texas Aircraft exhibit.
“The dedication and professionalism of the Siemens team is first class,” he said. “This project is a testimony to the power of people working together to achieve amazing things. We have people from the US, Brazil, Germany, and Hungary solving problems and working collaboratively to make this one of the best electric LSA options in the market”
“As exciting as today’s announcement is, it is just the first step in the road to developing the collective experience necessary to integrate electric propulsion systems into new-generation LSAs and ultimately earning certification for our new Texas Aircraft eLSA,” Grande said.
(Source: Texas Aircraft news release)
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