Pipistrel Velis Electro review

So you’re thinking about buying a Velis Electro? Great news, although it’ll cost you a little more than the Enyaq you see above. To be a pioneer in the world of electric flight, you’ll need around €200,000. Sounds expensive, but then the ICE equivalent isn’t much cheaper at €180,000-ish and the EV is much cheaper to run and service. The time between overhaul of the electric motor is 2,000 hours. 

You’ll need a Light Aircraft Pilot Licence or a Private Pilot Licence to fly the Electro, along with a quick ‘difference training course’ that Deepak offers at Damyns Hall – in fact he lets slip that the RAF are coming down the day after us. 

You’ll want to know about charging times too. You can only charge through Pipistrel’s own charging boxes that help protect the batteries not just from the power transfer but also from cyber-attacks. Blimey. A 35 per cent to 95 per cent charge takes around an hour and 20 minutes, while a ‘full charge’ from 30 to 100 per cent takes two hours.