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Project Sponsor: Harout Hedeshian
There exist no affordable alternatives to piston internal combustion engines in the experimental amateur built light aircraft category. There are a handful of off-the-shelf components which are aimed at automotive enthusiasts for electric vehicle conversions, but none meet the requirements for use in aircraft. Either way they are too heavy, or lack the safety and redundancy needed for aviation use.
The FEV-60 is an electric propulsion system for an aircraft under 1500 lbs. The system provides an alternative to combustion engines for recreational planes that is optimized for aviation requirements. It consists of two motor drivers in parallel, central control, and battery systems that are fully redundant.
Aviation operations by recreational and hobbyist pilots involve point A to B flights under 2 hours in duration. These flights are typically conducted in the pilot’s local area and are at a leisurely pace where top speed and cruise distance are not important. In these situations, electric systems are more efficient and therefore less cost prohibitive to hobbyists. This also means less intensive repair for pilots and mechanics from the reduced number of mechanical parts and failure points. Currently, this aircraft is being designed only for hobbyist pilots. However, in the future, this system could be updated to meet FAA requirements to allow it to be flown by professional pilots for competitions or passenger flight.
The FEV-60 provides users with a fully electric propulsion system that can be implemented in multiple light airframes. This allows users to fly cleaner and more efficiently than traditional internal combustion engines. Due to the electric nature of this vehicle, it is also quieter than most commercially available planes. The system is less cost prohibitive than other market alternatives. Additionally, regarding redundancy of the aircraft, the motor driver system is split between two individual controllers allowing the pilot to continue to fly if one of them fails.