The German international giant seems to be everywhere from trains to electric vehicle (EV) motors to electric aircraft, Siemens seems particularly aggressive and ahead of the game. It has been working the new industry hard. Its electric motors are often associated with maiden electric flights and tests.
In its latest public interaction, Siemens showed attendees to Innovation Day in Chicago its e-plane and hybrid electric aircraft progress. Siemens showed a first to a somewhat bewildered US crowd — its Magnus LSA fitted with a 55 kW Siemens electric motor.
Siemens plays it cool and reminds journalists that it has no intentions of competing on the OEM front when it can supply those OEMs with its electric motors and expertise.
Siemens wants to be part of the electric mobility (e-mobility) solution and would rather work with than compete with airplane companies, such as Boeing, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce, the last two of which are working on an eFan regional airplane that should see the light of day in roughly a decade.
For sustainable future and living the aviation industry needs a serious shift in the way it uses fuel for its propulsion needs, away from fossil fuels to renewable, clean energy. Much less noise from electric aircraft also mean later flights and landings/takeoffs potentially closer to where we live since e-plane make very little noise gliding to a landing.
The progress has been astonishing and the next frontier is that of electric flight. The Siemens electric motor on the Magnus LSA is a perfect way to test 55 kW in the air.