Electra One a single seat electric airplane wins at airshow.

Elektra One performed a demo flight during the EAA AirVenture 2011 show in Oshkosh on Saturday, July 30. Elektra One was designed by Calin Gologan, PC-Aero, Germany. The 1-seat electric aircraft is able to fly with battery-power for up to 4 hours, for a range of 500 km. At 1,400 propeller RPM at cruising altitudes, Elektra One is nearly silent. The plane weighs 440 pounds, including battery, and can carry a payload of 220 pounds, including pilot. Elektra One flies consuming only 6 kW, with zero CO2-emissions. If small electric aircraft can fly, I think scaling up to large aircraft should be easy, technically and economically.

In combination with a Solar Hangar (SunAirport) - sponsored by SolarWorld, one of the biggest solar panel companies in the world - their goal is to combine energy efficiency, low noise and zero emission with low operating costs. See more at http://www.pc-aero.de/

The Elektra One made its maiden flight in March in Augsburg, Germany, where Gologan’s vision of marrying the aircraft with a solar-charging hangar was conceptually demonstrated. PC Aero will begin taking orders for the aircraft in Europe and the U.S. in 2012. Gologan intends for a complete system – solar-equipped airplane combined with a hangar – to be priced around $145,000, or 100,000 euro.

SolarWorld’s central business activity is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry. SolarWorld is the largest U.S. manufacturer of solar panels for more than 35 years. SolarWorld and Germany’s PC Aero are working together to pioneer the world’s first comparatively affordable electric aircraft system complete with solar-equipped aircraft and solar-charging hangar.