A bigger single pack would be nice for Trikers if they ever get one designed 
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My Soaring Delta wing could take 2x8kw packs and still be under the MTOW. Man do we need those new Sodium batteries and their 4xcapacities. Come on CATL, get that production moving!
Cheers
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Thanks, I have difficulties with heights so it was a big deal for me to finally do the solo, then winter came, and then life got in the way last year so the two lessons I had right before this winter ended up just being ground work.
I know the design seems to constantly be evolving. How stable do you consider the current version? Is there an expectation if I buy one today that in 5 years I will be able to get parts without having to upgrade everything?
Lyten apparently has their pilot plant up and running for Lithium-Sulfer at 3x the energy density from the last I heard, where they are doing small runs with OEMs and the DOD. They have cells, I wonder if they would work with OpenPPG to build a pack to show off… it seems the energy density/weight benefits would be great for their marketing as they are also advertising that they can help in aviation, and what is more impressive than someone running with 3 hours of flight time on their back
…they are supposed to be in production in 2025.
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Stuff is always changing, and improvements are the goal. It’s like most things, there is always going to be a new phone or car that will come out in the future with better specs than the latest model. So you would forever be waiting for a better future product. But as far as improvements in battery cells I would not expect anymore than maybe 2-5% on average per year.
As far as the cells linked above is there and pricing info? where can they be bought, is there even any 3rd parties that have test data on them? I just wouldn’t hold your breath that’s all.
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Lyten is currently in pilot mode from what i’ve seen publicly available, meaning they are working directly with potential OEM customers for evaluation. From an interview i saw a while back they were using the pilot plant to build both normal cell batteries as well as custom shapes. Obviously going with normal cylindrical cells would be both cheapest and a zero-effort engagement on their part if they can work with you on samples. Again, from what I heard, they aren’t going into general production for another 2 years. Could they fizzle out, sure, I can’t vouch for them…but it sounds like they have a DoD contract that funded development and they are now targeting EVs and aerospace customers.
I think we are over due for a spike with a battery that has at least a 50% gain over Lithium ion. Everyone is chewing at the bit for a better one and when that right mixture of fairy dust is found, a Gigafactory will be pumping them out the next year. My prediction is 2026.
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Hope I don’t need new knees by then! I’d like to have a 2 hour electric flight before I hit 65.
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It might be more interesting to aim R&D at efficiency within the existing weight budget rather than increasing “fuel” capacity (and with it, weight).