NASA X-57 Maxwell Unveiled As NASA's First All-Electric Airplane
NASA has showcased an early version of its first all-electric experimental aircraft. The X-57 Maxwell will act as a design and technology standard to be followed by commercial manufacturers for government certification. The final version of the plane is at least a year away from its first test flight.
Electrification is being pursued for the skies just as much as for the roads. A driving force in the endeavour is the US space body NASA, which has since long been working on an electric airplane. The space agency has now showcased an early version of its first all-electric experimental aircraft and is calling it the X-57 Maxwell.
Just to give you a hint of its timeline, NASA has been working on the X-57 Maxwell since 2015. Its first public view came after the space agency used two largest of 14 electric motors ultimately poised to be a part of the plane, coupled to specially designed lithium ion batteries.
Adapted from an Italian-made Tecnam P2006T twin-engine propeller plane, NASA¡¯s X-57 comes as its first crewed X-plane in the last two decades. During its premier, it was showcased alongside a simulator that was meant to provide a glimpse of how it would feel to fly the plane upon its development. The final version of the plane, of course, is at least a year away from its first test flight.
NASA X-57 (Image: NASA)
Why the X-57?
Almost all the major aviation players are actively pursuing the idea of electric airplanes for their commercial use. So why did NASA, a state-run space agency feel the need to come up with its own iteration of the same? Its simple. For use by the US government.
In essence, NASA wants to lay down the ground rules with the X-57. Upon its completion, the X-57 will act as a design and technology standard, to be followed by commercial manufacturers for government certification.
These standards will encompass features like ¡°airworthiness and safety¡± as well as efficiency of the aircraft and the noise it produces while moving.
"We're focussing on things that can help the whole industry, not just one company," Brent Cobleigh, project manager for NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards, told Reuters in an interview. "Our target right now is to fly this airplane in late 2020," he added.
What next?
The X-57 is yet to undergo its final or Mod IV modification. The upgrades that the final stage will bring will include ¡°narrower, lighter-weight wings¡± and a total of 14 electric engines including six smaller ones for take-off and landings and two larger ones for cruising the aircraft when an ample altitude is reached.
That, however, does not eliminate the standing challenges for the X-57¡¯s final production. A major area to work upon is the battery technology to be used in the aircraft. The idea is to have a battery capable enough to cruise over a long range and having fast charging capabilities.
As of now, the prevalent battery technology limits the aircraft to short hauls, deeming it fit to be an air-taxi or a limited passenger commuter plane.
(With inputs from Reuters)
