Skip to content
  • The Student Engineer
  • C2I Awards
  • Salary Survey
  • Latest Issue
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Employer Zone
  • Covid-19
The Engineer
  • News
  • In-depth
  • Opinion
  • JOBS
  • Sectors
  • Supplier Network
Search Login / Register Primary Menu
Close
Login or Register
News Aerospace Energy & environment Motorsport

Nottingham University lands development work on electric air race aircraft engine

By Stuart Nathan 2nd November 2018 10:56 am 7th November 2018 9:26 am

Electric motorbike racing to form the basis of powerplant for the first all electric air race series, connected with £13m global challenge research programme.

electric air race
Air Race 1 promoter Jeff Zaltsman (left) with Richard Glassock and the racing aircraft that will be retrofitted with an electric motor

Aircraft racing, perhaps more associated with the 1920s and 1930s, is still a major spectator sport, and it is moving with the times. A recently-announced all-electric air racing series has taken a step forward with the formation of a partnership between Nottingham University and the race series, Air Race E.

Planned to launch its inaugural race in 2020, Air Race E is envisaged as being similar to Formula One pylon air racing, a competition where eight aircraft race directly against each other around a tight circuit around 1.5 km end-to-end. Promoter Jeff Zaltman, who runs the Air Race 1 World Cup, plans a race with electric aircraft flying some 10m above the ground around a tight 5km circuit.

Nottingham is already involved in electric motorsport, running an electric superbike in race series including the TT Zero on the Isle of Man. The motor from this bike will form the basis for the motor of the electric race aircraft, according to project director Richard Glassock.

“The performance and power to weight ratio are all well suited for aviation,” he told The Engineer. The timescale on the project is tight; Glassock plans to retrofit the motorbike motor into an existing petrol-powered Air Race 1 plane and begin air trials within the next 3 to 6 months. “We won’t have to make many adjustments to the aircraft, which is already a fairly simple vehicle,” he said. “Basically we just remove the petrol engine, replace it with an electric motor, replace the fuel tank with battery storage and make some changes to the cockpit displays.”

The project forms part of the University’s £13m Beacons of Excellence program, which addresses responses to global challenges including sustainable travel. The partnership between Glassock’s team and Air Race E will take in development of new materials, components and technologies aimed at the whole field of electric aerospace propulsion. Air race E is committed to developing speed, performance and power management to provide a platform for development and promotion of cleaner, faster and more to moderately advanced electric engines for civil aerospace applications.

“Air Race E is set on making the electric aviation industry move faster and we are very excited to be working alongside them to make it happen,” Glassock said.“Future transport platforms will require electrical machines and power conversion and transmission solutions which can deliver a step-change in power density, efficiency and reliability. Through strategic investment in facilities, talent and research programmes, and collaboration with academic and industrial partners, the University of Nottingham is at the forefront of this exciting revolution in aerospace, marine and automotive transport.”

At the moment, the series is in too early a stage for Glassock to be able to say how Nottingham will contribute to the series once it is launched. “The work we are doing will lead to a specification for the motor that will be used in the race aircraft,” he said. “It’s possible that it might be, in its early stages, a single-manufacturer series as the automotive Formula E series was when that started, or other motor manufacturers might choose to develop their own motors to meet the specification.

CLICK FOR NEWS

The Engineer Jobs

Visit the UK’s dedicated jobsite for engineering professionals. Each month, we’ll bring you hundreds of the latest roles from across the industry.

View jobs
Interviews Skills and careers

BP’s global head of talent on what it takes to work overseas

1st November 2018 8:05 am 5th March 2019 3:32 pm
Opinion Skills and careers

Safeguarding UK manufacturing skills after Brexit

29th October 2018 8:07 am 12th March 2019 1:10 pm
News Automotive

Swedish electric car maker to open UK production plant

25th October 2018 9:24 am 25th October 2018 10:33 am
Latest ArticlesComments (4)
Opinion Aerospace

IWD2021: This is what an engineer looks like

8th March 2021 12:02 am 4th March 2021 1:21 pm
News Renewables

Assessing renewable energy sites with drones

5th March 2021 11:52 am 5th March 2021 3:31 pm
offshore wind farm
News Energy & environment

Sea mussels to inspire offshore wind farm solutions

5th March 2021 11:25 am 5th March 2021 11:25 am
Opinion Policy & business

Can ARIA save UK innovation? asks RAE President Sir Jim McDonald

5th March 2021 8:30 am 5th March 2021 2:19 pm
Comments
  • Beau 5th November 2018 at 7:24 am

    This may appear on the surface to be new toys just for the rich. However, as in the automotive industry, these advances usually trickle down into everyday life, as a pilot I’d love a go in one, but don’t think there will be an electric microlite … but who knows?

    Reply Link
    • Mike B 5th November 2018 at 1:18 pm

      Check out the 500kg MTOW Pipestral Alpha Electric. Available today in UK under Light Sports, and likely to be classified as a microlight / ultralight in many countries.

      Reply Link
  • 20 Cent 5th November 2018 at 10:25 am

    Anyone know what the regulations would be to cover the safety issues? For example on a piston engine aircraft there may be twin spark plugs or twin magnetos in case one fails.

    Reply Link
  • Tom Geake 5th November 2018 at 11:06 am

    I wish this project every success. All aircraft (except gliders) burn fossil fuel, and it is better for the environment for that fuel to be burned in a power station where there are no constraints on weight, shape or size, than at the front of a small, fast aircraft. Politics may intervene: the Government gets a lot of money from Excise duty and VAT on fossil fuels, bel electricity suffers no excise duty and only 5% VAT.

    Reply Link
  • Post a comment
    Cancel reply

    Threaded commenting powered by interconnect/it code.

    All comments are moderated. Click here for our guidelines.

Explore

  • SECTORS
    • AEROSPACE
    • AUTOMOTIVE
    • CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL
    • DEFENCE AND SECURITY
    • ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS
    • ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
    • MATERIALS
    • MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE
    • RAIL AND MARINE
    • ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
      • NUCLEAR
      • COAL, OIL AND GAS
      • ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
      • RENEWABLES
  • CAREERS
    • THE STUDENT ENGINEER
    • JOBS
    • SALARY CALCULATOR
    • SALARY SURVEY 2018
  • SKILLS AND CAREERS
  • POLICY & BUSINESS
  • VIDEOS
  • EVENTS
  • WEBINARS
  • CLASSIC ARCHIVE
  • C2I 2020 Winners Book
  • BACK ISSUES
  • NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
  • TECH TRENDS 2021
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Flip
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • Cookies
  • Digital edition
  • Magazine subscription
  • Privacy
  • Website Terms and Conditions

Copyright © Mark Allen Engineering Ltd (a Mark Allen Group company) 2019

Mark Allen Engineering Limited
Registered Office: Mark Allen Group, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, London, SE24 0PB
Registered in England No. 11569365