NASA X 57 Maxwell: First all-electric experimental aircraft.
NASA recently revealed a few new concept images of its first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell, which has been under development since 2016.
Adapted from a Italian-made Tecnam P2006T twin-engine propeller plane, the X-57 has been under development since 2015 and remains at least a year away from its first test flight in the skies over Edward Air Force Base.
The inspiration for the X-57’s “Maxwell” nickname came from a 19th-century physicist who specialized in electromagnetism: James Clerk Maxwell.
NASA’s X-57 Maxwell weighs approximately 3000 pounds making it lighter and more technologically efficient. The aircraft has a cruise speed of 172 mph at 8000 ft. It can also operate up to 14,000 ft height. X 57 is powered by 860 pounds lithium-ion phosphate batteries which can give it almost 47-kilowatt hours of flight time.
It has14 electric motors driving propellers. The propellers are mounted at the wings of the plane and can be used during the take-off and landing. According to the reports, the additional motors generate additional airflow which generates greater lift for the plane. The aircraft can carry two passengers each time during the flight.
Interestingly, one can control the propellers individually. This gives the plane the ability to change the over-wing airflow pattern to cope with flying conditions. Also, the electric motors of the aircraft are smaller and lighter than the jet engines of equivalent power.
As the plane goes faster, the propellers will fold back to reduce the drag and will leave the two large wingtip motors to provide thrust. The air-cooled motors and propellers weigh 15 pounds each.
NASA X-57 Maxwell is going to be the first all-electric X-plane from NASA. The plane is currently at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. And we still have to wait for the final test of the aircraft.
