Researchers over at Siemens claim that this new electric aircraft engine that they have come up with will boast of a weight-to-performance ratio of 5 kW per kilogram. This prototype electric motor will specifically target the likes of aircraft, and it will tip the scales at a mere 50 kg, and is touted to deliver approximately 260 kW (348 hp) at just 2,500 RPM. This quoted power that is five times greater than any comparable powerplant, it translates to packing enough punch to send an aircraft that has a take-off weight of up to 1,800 kg (2 ton) into the air.
Siemens is keeping their fingers crossed that this is but a first step to even greater things, and in comparison to other powerful industrial electric motors in its class that sees action in heavy machinery, those happen to produce less than 1 kW per kilogram, now how about that? [Press Release]