NASA will soon build and start testing the Tecnam P2006T-based X-57 Maxwell research aircraft.
The X-57 is powered by 14 electric motors, which NASA scientists believe could be five-times more efficient than a piston-powered private aeroplane.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) on 17 June that the X-57 was the first X-plane introduced in a decade.
“With the return of piloted X-planes to NASA’s research capabilities – which is a key part of our 10-year-long New Aviation Horizons initiative – the general aviation-sized X-57 will take the first step in opening a new era of aviation,” he said.
The original wing and twin piston engines of the P2006T have been replaced with 12 smaller battery-powered propeller embedded in the leading edge of a wing with a higher aspect ratio, with two larger electric motors on the wingtips. The idea is to use the larger engines during cruise only.
This configuration will reduce carbon emissions and demonstrate how demand would shrink for lead-based avgas still in use by general aviation.
NASA expects that X-57 technology could benefit travelers by reducing flight times, fuel usage and operating costs for small aircraft by as much as 40%. As electric motors are more quiet than conventional piston engines, the X-57’s electric propulsion technology is also expected to significantly decrease aircraft noise.
NASA researchers named the X-57 Maxwell after 19th Century Scottish physicist James Clark Maxwell, who pioneered work in electro-magnetism.