NASA Unveils New Electric Plane Called X-57

NASA's Electric Plane Could Make its Way to Commercial Travel Soon

By Allen Marcon, CP Contributor Tuesday, June 21, 2016

NASA's latest project is an electric plane, tagged as X-57, which will help demonstrate how this kind of aviation can be cleaner and fast than current practices.

However, cleaner and faster does not always mean sleek and elegant. The designs for the aircraft were unveiled on June 17 during NASA administrator Charles Bolden's keynote speech at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautic's annual meeting.

A Bulkier Design?

The plane is actually has a straight body, but what makes it look different from an airplane commonly used today is that the X-57 will have 12 small electric motors attached to each wing with two larger engines in each wingtip.

This engine configuration will allow the plane to work similarly to an automobile transmission. During take-off and landing, the 12 smaller electrical motors will be used, giving the X-57 the torque it needs to start and stop. However, once the plane is in the air, the smaller motors will fold back into the wing and the aircraft will use the two bigger engines to travel.

Faster and Cleaner than Fuel-Powered Planes

Since the X-57 does not used any fuels at all, it's cleaner for the environment. Also, the X-57 will be more efficient while going at top speed than conventional planes.

This is because to save on fuel, most modern planes do not go at their top speed. Hence, not being at 100 percent efficiency. The X-57 will not burn fuel so it can go at its maximum speed of 175 mph. However, it was not specified on how long each of the 14 engines will last on a single charge or how much electricity each engine will produce to maintain speed and altitude.

Future Plans for the Project

The X-57 is not the only plane that NASA is currently working on. NASA has also revealed that is also working on a much larger transport plane.

The said plane uses the same technology as the X-57 but on a larger scale. Called Maxwell, the larger plane takes its name after James Clerk Maxwell, the vanguard in the study of electromagnetism.

NASA hopes that the electric-powered planes will soon find themselves in commercial flights. Of course, NASA believes that smaller planes will come first and maybe someday, the big 747 will also be fully electric.