A new speed record of 162 mph was established by a French pilot with his twin-motor, electric powered Cri-Cri, exceeding the previous record of 155 mph set by an Italian team in 2009.
The electric aircraft used 35-horsepower motors made by Electravia. These were set in place with custom propellers designed especially for the flight. The speed record was achieved using only 75% power.
Pushing the tiny single-seater’s velocity beyond 161mph would have stressed the Cri-Cri airframe and would have been dangerous. According to Electravia, the engines and the propellers could have effortlessly brought the plain over 220mph.
Although slow, short and for demonstrative purposes only, the pioneer electric airplanes of just few years ago (i.e., the Wright brothers), sparked the hope of many visionaries, but many people put ahead the impractical value of having an electrical craft and didn’t really believe electric motors and batteries will eventually succeed.
Nowadays, along with the technological innovations and developments, the pilots are able to maintain their aircrafts in the air for a longer time, designers are adding extra seats for passengers and even successfully cutting down on costs, making the electric flight within everyday people’s reach.
Like their predecessors of the early 20th century, the 21st century pilots feel the adrenaline rush, languish more for higher speeds and break record after record. The risks are kept well below acceptable limits, adapting a new power source to reliably proven ideas and designs.
