Adding a small fuel based generator to continously (while landing to eat … fill her up too) will increase the range
hopping flts … cross country
& then there is the future … sail made of solar cells
every bit (watt) helps
Yeah except that any generator large enough to make a difference will weigh as much or more than your battery.
The 4 bonka lipos total about 2kwhs and people are getting 20mins. So you average 6kw. Look for a 5kilowatt generator and check the weight. You wanna carry that plus the fuel, plus the batteries?
Range extending generators used in electric cars (Chevy Volt, BMW i3x) work because you don’t have to carry the weight. You do have to lift it up hill and accelerate it, but they also have regenerative braking on down hills and deceleration.
This is not necessarily true.
A single-motor spinning a much larger prop EPPG would be more efficient and allow level flight at a lower power consumption.
You don’t need all power all of the time … A hybrid approach could keep the minimal batteries topped off for short bursts of full power or longer bursts of cruise power.
Additionally, there is a great deal of unnecessary weight in an off-the-shelf generator. We do not need AC power. A DC generator is a great deal simpler (and lighter) than a AC generator. The generator can be designed to always run at peak power and would not require throttle control. The generator would be smaller and much more fuel efficient than the comparable ICE paramotor engine.
I was thinking some type of hybrid setup might be cool if you’re going with a single prop. Use a small high revving but light 2 stroke for power and a motor/generator as a clutch. Complicated control system though.