Efficient, Silent, and Revolutionary... e-Genius Paves The Way For GA's Future

The e-Genius evolved from the Hydrogenius fuel-cell powered airplane project which won the Berblinger Prize 2006. The prize-winning concept was optimized by the University of Stuttgart’s aircraft design specialists under the leadership of Prof. Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann, head of the Institute of Airplane design at University Stuttgart. A long standing working relationship and exchange of experience between the solar flight pioneer Eric Raymond and Prof. Rudolf Voit-Nitschmann led to a variant of the aircraft's participation in the Green Flight Challenge 2011.

Professor Voit-Nitschmann told ANN that the e-Genius is a modified version of that fuel-cell powered airplane. Eric Raymond said competitor Pipistrel was also a technical sponsor for e-Genius, and allowed them to utilize molds for the outer wings and canopy design. Raymond said the airplane is powered by about 600 pounds of laptop batteries.

Prof. Voit-Nitschmann said the e-Genius has a range of about four hours and 400 kilometers. While he says that is not efficient enough to go to market, the technology will improve, and the research that is being done today will eventually result in electric airplanes.

In October, the airplane won the Lindbergh Prize for Quietest Aircraft, which was established to quantify the noise impact of aircraft on the surrounding community. According to a news release, the testing was performed by an independent team of aero-acousticians who measured takeoff noise levels of each of the planes in the Green Flight Challenge. Measurements were taken at several points along each side of the runway to factor out variables such as crosswind noise. Noise levels of the competitors ranged from a minimum of 56dBA to a maximum of 72dBA. e-Genius won with a takeoff range of 56 – 62 dBA. By comparison, the takeoff noise of a turbo-fan aircraft at a similar distance is 110 dBA, over 16 times louder.

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