The Pipistrel Taurus Electro took top prize in the Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize at last week’s AERO show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
According to Erik Lindbergh, who created the prize, there were several noteworthy candidates in the best airplane category, including the Hugues Duval Electric Cri-Cri with power by Electrivia; the Pipistrel Taurus Electro (pictured); and the Sunseeker II solar airplane by Eric Raymond. “It was very difficult to determine a winner, as all of the finalists have done a great job creating the new world of electric flight,” he said in a blog post.
Winner of the Best Electric Propulsion is the LZ Design FES system. “There were many new developments at AERO,” Lindbergh said. “In the judging, our experts gave strong consideration to the commercialization and scalability potential of the systems reviewed. The other finalist was Rapid 200 Fuel Cell propulsion system from Polytechnic Torino.
The “Outstanding Achievement Award” went to the Solar Impulse team of Bertrand Piccard and Andre’ Borschberg for their pioneering work on the Solar Impulse.
The Outstanding Achievement Award is granted for significant achievement in the field of electric flight for a single event or cumulative effort in any of the following areas: engineering, design, public outreach, regulatory, or education. “We believe that the flights of Solar Impulse compare with my Grandfather’s flights in the Spirit of St. Louis, and the flights of SpaceshipOne, in that each shifted public perception of the potential of their respective industries,” Lindbergh said. “These efforts had their own extraordinary challenges and evolved in different ways, but they each took a nascent industry and moved it into mainstream consciousness. This is a critical step toward reaching a tipping point that will move the aviation industry into the future. From a spectacular original vision to assembling a world class team to the execution of the test flight program to the educational outreach, Solar Impulse has helped to bring the electric aircraft industry to its tipping point.”
For more information: LindberghPrize.org
