They won NASA challenges for efficiency in 2007 and 2008, produce a two-seat aircraft that cruises at 147 knots on 100 hp, and now Pipistrel aims to achieve 400 passenger miles per gallon (equivalent) in their Taurus Electro G4. Pipistrel claims the twin-bodied G4 (two Taurus Electro G2 motorglider fuselages connected by a common75-ft wing) is the heaviest manned electric-powered aircraft ever built. It weighs in at 1.5 metric tons (more than 3,300 pounds), including 800 pounds of people, more than 1,100 pounds of lithium polymer high energy density batteries and supporting technology, plus the airframe. There are no plans to create a commercial product from the G4. The plan is to use it to win NASA's Green Flight Challenge, scheduled for Sept. 25 - Oct. 3, 2011, and then adapt the powerplant for another airframe -- one that is intended for commercial production and a 200 knot cruise.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/taurus-g4-aims-for-400-passenger-miles-per-gallon