Airbus E-Fan Makes Oshkosh Debut

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The latest version of the Airbus Group’s E-Fan “Plus” twin-engine demonstrator aircraft is on display this week at EAA AirVenture, providing insight into how the company’s vision has evolved as they experiment with the new technology. The E-Fan on display is a hybrid version, with longer flight range and more endurance than the original all-electric model. The aircraft now incorporates a thermal engine from German manufacturer Solo, which runs on avgas. The hybrid completed initial test flights in France shortly before it was shipped here for the show.

The new engine can operate in three modes, Airbus says — on electric power only, drawing from lithium-ion batteries; with the thermal engine acting as a “range extender” charging the batteries in flight; or with the electric motors powered solely by the energy from the thermal engine. “With the range extender, the demonstrator aircraft’s flight time is expected to be approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, compared to one hour for the E-Fan when it made the 2015 English Channel crossing,” said Denis Chapuis, of the Airbus Group’s Global Innovation Network. The E-Fan is on display all week at the Airbus exhibit, Tent 63-64. Experts from Airbus Group will give a talk about the technology tomorrow at Aviation Gateway Park, at 10 a.m.

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