e-Genius, the electric aircraft built at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Aircraft Design, has achieved a record breaking distance of 211 miles in two hours time.
The aircraft developed by a team of people under Professor Voit-Nitschmann took off on 15th June 2011 at 11:58 a.m. from the airport facilities of the Grob Aircraft in Mindelheim/Germany flew between Woerishofen and Thannhausen and landed at 2.03 PM.
First flight by e-Genius at 25th of May, 2011
The test flight piloted by Karl Kaeser, pilot and production manager and Steffen Geinitz system engineer climbed a height of 4,000 ft, and averaged a speed of 100 mph. The aircraft utilized an exclusively developed propulsion system of 60 kW power capability and a battery capacity of 56 kWh. The propulsion system consisted of safety systems, battery monitoring system and battery, motor controller, and a motor that weighed only 741 pounds. During the test flight the aircraft consumed less than 56 kWh of electric power which can be equated to a car consuming 260 mpg gasoline to cover the distance.
Institute of Aircraft Design of the University of Stuttgart has begun its electric powered aircraft development Icare in 1994 with the design of its first solar powered motor-glider project. The design for the e-Genius is obtained from the Hydrogenius project which received the Berblinger Prize in 2006. The aircraft design specialists at the University used the base design to develop an aircraft for Eric Raymond to take part in the 2011 Green Flight Challenge of NASA.