The competition, sponsored by Comparative Aircraft Efficiency Foundation and NASA, will reward the first plane that exceeds an equivalent fuel-efficiency of 100 kilometres per litre with a $1.65-million prize. The airplane will must to fly a minimum of 320 kilometres at a minimum speed of 160 kilometres per hour – in addition to meeting noise requirements and stringent safety. “We will go to America in order to win,” said Professor Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann, leader of the IFB team.
The Hydrogenius aircraft will be equipped with an electric motor and a lithium battery that will use the power from the aircraft’s onboard hydrogen fuel cell system. The team is convinced that their newly implemented energy-saving techniques will help the electric motor beat other conventional engines. This plane is environmentally-friendly and has the advantage of minimal sound output and high energy efficiency.
To take their aircraft to America, the IFB team still requires a considerable sum of money. “We still need about €300,000 to enable us to continue developing the aircraft until 2011,” said Len Schumann, a member of the team.
[Source: TheLocal]