Pipistrel Taurus Electro – upgraded G2 model

Electric aircraft are all new and yet Pipistrel has recently announced that they have already updated the Taurus Electric to the G2 model. The Taurus Electro G2 will make its first public appearance at AERO 2011 Friedrichshafen in April, where it will also compete for the Berliner prize registered as D-METD.

Pipistrel can rightly claim that they are a very innovative company, since they won the 2010 prestigious European Business Awards in the UKTI category (Award for Innovation). The award, sponsored by HSBC, puts Pipistrel at No. 1 out of more than 15,000 companies.

Established in 1987, Pipistrel is the world’s leading motorglider aircraft designer and is based in Slovenia. In 2009, despite the global credit crunch, they grew by 50%, and their workforce increased by 10%.

The Taurus Electro G2 is the first and the only electric twoseat side by side aeroplane in serial production available on the market. It offers a retractable electric engine, retractable landing gear, 41:1 gliding performance, inexpensive maintenance and a spacious 2 seat cockpit with unique side by side seating.

The Taurus Electro G2 can use a shorter runway and climb faster than the piston engine 503 Rotax 2 stroke version (and is considerably quieter). This is possible thanks to the specially developed emission-free Pipistrel 40kW electric power-train.

The motor peaks at 40 kW for take-off and allows continuous climbing at 30 kW power. It is controlled by a specially developed power inverter/controller and governed by the cockpit ESYS-MAN instrument. All components are networked via CAN-bus, feature proprietary multilayer protection logic and produce a true throttleby-wire experience.

More information about this pioneering system and what it

does for the pilot is available on the Pipistrel web site. Simply click on the Taurus Electro toggle in the centre of the page below the header.

The Lithium-technology batteries come in two configurations, capable of two launches to 3,000 feet. With the optional battery pack, four launches to 3000 ft are available on a charge.

The batteries are placed in self-contained boxes, monitored constantly by the super-precise Pipistrel battery management system (BMS), complete with data-logging and battery health forecasting. The result is a full featured, maintenance-free electric

power train that can be retrofitted into existing gasoline powered Taurus gliders and will be offered for integration into third party platforms as well.

Also at AERO 2011, Pipistrel is unveiling another World’s first – a solar trailer, which can charge up the Taurus Electro G2 in as little as 5 hours, absolutely free of charge and with zero emissions! SoaringNZ will bring you information and pictures of this after the official launch of the product, but the idea of flying for free has a lot of appeal.