Ampaire’s hybrid electric plane takes flight
by Gregg Kresge | April 14, 2021
When the Wright brothers began experimenting with airplanes in the early 1900s, most homes didn’t have electricity. So the notion of an electric-powered airplane probably would have seemed far-fetched — maybe even crazy. But more than a century later, on Dec. 4, 2020,– I had the unique opportunity to fly in an Ampaire hybrid electric plane during a test flight from Kahului Airport to Hana Airport and back. These flights were made possible through a partnership with Mokulele Airlines and Elemental Excelerator. It was history in the making, and I was excited to be on board the electric-powered aircraft.
Prior to the flight, I checked out the new electric motor that powered the front propeller. The most amazing thing about the electric motor is that it takes up only a fraction of the space a combustion engine occupies. The main obstacle to overcome in the electric aircraft is the weight of the batteries that took up a large portion of the space under the aircraft. It’s easy to see that as battery densities increase allowing for more energy storage, and the sizes and weights decrease, it will be a game-changer.
After receiving a safety briefing, the pilot, Justin Gillen, and I boarded the aircraft with our face masks in place, latched the seatbelts and prepared to taxi out to the runway. The electric engine was used to taxi the plane on the runway and the first thing you notice is that it’s so quiet. While the propeller makes sound by moving air, there is no throttling noise or growl that you would normally experience in a regular prop aircraft. Once we were on the runway, Justin started the combustion engine, which really brought to light the differences between the gas engine and the battery motor. Given the power needed for takeoff and landing, both the electric and gas propellers are used in tandem.
In the air, it was so cool to be only one of a few people in the world able to ride in an electric-powered aircraft. Sitting in the co-pilot seat on the right side of the plane, I was directly in front of the battery LED screen that showed battery charge, torque and temperature. When we reached altitude (about 1,500 feet), Justin was able to throttle down on the gas engine and utilize more of the battery power to fly the plane. Because the plane was modified with the battery pack and electric motor, it looked like a normal prop aircraft.
Due to a wet landing strip and rain in Hana, we didn’t actually touch down there. Instead, we did a “fly-by” where we got close to the tarmac and accelerated again to return to Kahului. The combination of the electric motor and gas engine allow for redundancy of power for the aircraft and extends the flight distance with less fueling requirements. This is a great combination for remote locations where it’s difficult to get aircraft fuel delivered. For example, for aircraft fuel to be stored in Hana, the fuel must be transported by truck along the winding highway, greatly increasing the carbon footprint of the air travel itself. A battery can be used to extend this range and alleviate the need for fuel storage and trucking to the remote location.
After working with Ampaire on its charging needs at the beginning of the Kahului experiment and participating in its test flights, I’m even more excited to see the technology take hold, eventually reducing fossil fuels in our transportation sector. Additionally, if aircraft charging can occur when renewable energy generation is high, like in the middle of the day during the solar peak, even further carbon reductions will be seen. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see this technology take off.
Gregg Kresge is a project delivery manager for electrification of transportation at Hawaiian Electric Company.
