This article completely missed the core significance of this aircraft. NASA is not simply converting a piston airplane to electric. They are developing an entirely new wing which uses a dozen motors to generate blown lift. With a maximum lift coefficient of 4.2, NASA will be able to drastically reduce the wing area and corresponding drag.
The stock Tecnam has a wing loading of 17 pounds per square foot. With this new wing, it will operate at 45 pound per square foot and have the same stall speed. That’s pretty cool!