Diamond Aircraft Announces Electric eDA-40

907

Well-Known Member
Like the auto industry, it seems the big push for electrification is finally coming to general aviation. I'm quite convinced electric aircraft will revitalize GA, due to the considerably cheaper operating costs and simplicity. Big ticket items like prop-overhauls, avionics, and battery replacements will still exist, but I'm pretty hopeful new battery tech will significantly drive costs down. Toyota, for example, has been making great headway on a solid state battery using nickel-metal hydride, to drive costs down from the more expensive Li-Ion packs.

Most importantly, no more burning (leaded) gas! Sign me up.

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The initial cost is going to be staggering I bet.
No doubt acquisition costs will be expensive. Pipistel's Alpha Electro was (is) about $50k more than the gas variant, but economies of scale should solve that eventually. Curious what the starting price will be for these.
 
I like it!

And even though they went the goofy "eDA 40" name, its still less cringey the Boeing/USAF "ET-7A*". I wonder it they considered "DA 4E" as an option. That'd be a neat type code at least.

Where we're at with lithium polymer energy density and the much better efficiency of electric motors, Avgas and battery/electric are getting close. At least for aircraft where the fuel fraction is small.

(*as soon as Boeing announced it, the USAF they said they're gonna drop the 'E' before it enters service)
 
If electric catches on in aviation I expect FBOs to also charge quite a bit for ramp space. Pretty sure classic FBOs make most of their money off fuel.
 
If electric catches on in aviation I expect FBOs to also charge quite a bit for ramp space. Pretty sure classic FBOs make most of their money off fuel.

If only there were some sort of electrical sources in the t-hangars of the owners
 
If electric catches on in aviation I expect FBOs to also charge quite a bit for ramp space. Pretty sure classic FBOs make most of their money off fuel.

They'll have to. The cost of a capital improvement to run juice out to most of the ramps would be....significant.

Dropping some solar panel farms onto the fields might be interesting, too.
 
They'll have to. The cost of a capital improvement to run juice out to most of the ramps would be....significant.
OK now hear me out, "Directed-Energy Charging"

Eh? EH?!

Edit: it could serve triple-duty to keep drones out of the airspace and provide ramp security for anyone foolish enough to park their jet overnight at Van Nuys.
 
  • Total flight time is expected to be up to 90 minutes as the battery technology evolves
The technology isn't there yet.
Da40 was an amazing airplane. The diesel 40 less so, that was making the thing do what it wasn't supposed to do initially. This - 90 min legs? Really? Who needs this?
 
  • Total flight time is expected to be up to 90 minutes as the battery technology evolves
The technology isn't there yet.
Da40 was an amazing airplane. The diesel 40 less so, that was making the thing do what it wasn't supposed to do initially. This - 90 min legs? Really? Who needs this?

It's a pretty large step in the right direction, and there is most definitely a market for this.

The guys in Denver making the electric plane - Sunflyer, I think? - had orders for a dozen for a university flight school in Tulsa. The next two were going to a club in France, and my flight school ordered the next two.

The 90-minute leg situation would work out perfectly at my flight school, where we have 3 other airports (OKV, FDK, MRB) <30 mi away, not counting IAD and DCA - it's enough time to get out, do air work and/or some pattern work, and get back in. Re-charge during the de-brief. Install charging at other airports....could definitely work out, especially if, as I said, that power infrastructure could be offset by solar.

These are engineering problems and, ultimately, market problems to solve. This is a promising first step because a company like Diamond has the resources to see this through.
 
The initial cost is going to be staggering I bet.

The cost of any new light single or twin is absolutely bonkers to me. I've been out of touch with GA for awhile, but a new Skyhawk was 500k last time I looked. 182 750k or thereabouts. I get not wanting a 20-30 or 50 year old airframe for various reasons, but you could likely find a decent R model and retrofit it to new avionics and still have money left over from 500k.

I do love the Diamond family. A joy to fly and efficient, a DA62 is on my list of "lottery money" airplanes.
 
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