Stunning.
4 people over 200 miles in under 2 hours.
2.32 l /100 km actual fuel consumption*.
0.58 l / 100 passenger km (4 passengers)
=3D 403 passenger miles per gallon.
Twice as fast at twice the efficiency as a Toyota Prius.

=A0 =A0http://www.gizmag.com/green-flight-challenge-winner/20060/

* Fuel use ratings are NASA set equivalents as this uses a 145 kW
brushless DC motor.
Looks like something that Burt Rutan built.

Video: Circuit around Oshkosh

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DfNn_9xRxWro&feature=3Dplayer_embedd=
ed#!


_______________________________


>From above site. Formating destroyed by plain text conversion.

Pipistrel takes US$1.35 million first prize in NASA Green Flight Challenge

By=A0Ben Coxworth

13:57 October 5, 2011

4 Comments

8 Pictures

NASA has just announced that Pipistrel-USA's Taurus G4 aircraft won
first prize in its Green Flight Challenge for practical electric
aircraft (Photo: NASA)


Two years ago, aircraft designers were invited to build an electric
airplane that could fly at least 200 miles (322 km) in under two
hours, using less than one gallon (3.8 liters) of fuel per occupant -
or the electrical equivalent. Whichever plane performed best would win
its makers a prize of US$1.35 million. That was the idea behind
theGreen Flight Challenge, a NASA competition that was managed by the
Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation, and=A0funded
by Google. Well, the challenge wrapped up last week, with the winners
being announced this Monday. Pennsylvania's Pipistrel-USA team took
first place, for its Taurus G4.

The twin-fuselage aircraft has seating for four people, and a
145-kilowatt brushless electric motor that turns a two-bladed
propeller, which is mounted between the fuselages. Its wingspan is
approximately 75 feet (23 meters).

Out of 14 aircraft originally entered in the competition, it was one
of three to make it through to the finals, held at the Charles M.
Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California. Of those
finalists, both the Taurus and the second-prize-winningeGenius=A0doubled
the required fuel efficiency, in that they each used the equivalent of
just over=A0half=A0a gallon of fuel per occupant.

The Taurus specifically managed an equivalent fuel efficiency of 403
passenger miles per gallon (0.58L/100km) at a speed of 107 miles per
hour (172 km/h) - according to=A0Pipistrel=A0team leader Jack Langelaan,
that is twice as fast and efficient as a fully-occupied Toyota Prius.

"Two years ago the thought of flying 200 miles at 100 mph in an
electric aircraft was pure science fiction," he stated. "Now, we are
all looking forward to the future of electric aviation."

The video below was shot by a camera mounted on the Taurus G4.

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