Electric aircraft energize Paris Air Show (pictures)

AgustaWestland's Project Zero, among the electric aircraft designs shown at this year's Paris Air Show, is big enough for a single passenger.

EADCO and PC-Aero hope to build a prototype of this six-passenger aircraft, the Elektro E6, within three years and have it licensed for use within ten years. It'll have a range of 500km, the companies said.

The E-Fan is an all-electric demonstration aircraft that manufacturer EADS thinks will be good for quiet, zero-emission, cost-effective pilot training. The plane and passenger mass at takeoff maxes out at 550kg. It's got a takeoff speed of 68mph, cruising speed of 100mph, and and maximum speed of 137mph. But its range is fairly limited compared to conventionally fueled aircraft: it can fly only about 45 minutes to an hour.

Diamond Aircraft's DA36 E-Star 2, built in cooperation with EADS and Siemens, isn't an electric aircraft, strictly speaking. But it uses battery-powered electric motors to power its engines; a conventional fuel engine charges the battery as the plane flies.

EADS' E-Fan has dual electric motors that produce a total power of 60 kilowatts. It's powered by lithium-ion polymer batteries. The ducting around the propellers increases their power, and the blades can be pitched at different angles for different circumstances.

Building an EV powerful enough to carry people is difficult, but not all aircraft have a human payload. Tekever's AR1 Blue Ray is designed to carry a camera for police. The company's bigger unmanned aerial vehicles use conventional liquid fuels.

Here's another look at AgustaWestland's Project Zero, an all-electric tiltrotor.

The Project Zero rotors are mounted inside a black, circular frame that pivots within the wing.