My Thoughts On Gas VS Electric Paramotors 

It is the last week to enter the SP140 electric paramotor giveaway! Check out the webstore, every $5 spent until May 4th gets you one entry to win. - tuckergott.com/collections/new-arrivals

I never thought I'd live in a world where Tucker Gott regularly flies behind my house.

THIS is what I've been waiting for!!!! I purchased Jeff Goins Paramotor book about 3 months before finding Tuckers channel (back around 5k subscribers) and the thing that stopped me from training and a motor purchase was the 2 stroke power plant This may sound strange, but I'm an automotive mechanic by trade and I refuse to rely on a 2 stroke during recreational activities. I work all week on greasy smelly stuff, I don't want to have to do it when I'm off work too. All of my motorcycles are injected, water cooled, 4 strokes. You just check oil level, tire pressures, and go ride. 2 strokes are a nightmare, so I've been waiting for a reliable 4 stroke on a cart, or electric. My wife and I live in Sedona so we don't need the range. The pretty views are at arms length it feels like Great video Tucker. I'll definitely be focusing more on the hobby now that I can get into it and not have to be a mechanic while I'm supposed to be having fun

A lot of hobbies suffer from traditionalist mindset, that is, they will have a negative bias towards new gear because it's too different. It's great how really fair Tucker's comparison between the two is. I know we all suffer from our biases, but this is really an unbias and well thought out review of a new product.

Great review! I really liked your point that it potentially appeals to a DIFFERENT audience than gas paramotors, and that can bring more people into the sport that otherwise might not have gotten into it. In fact I am one such person who bought an SP140 as my first paramotor. Love it!

Nice and objective comparison. Thanks!

Yo bro, your videos are sick! Your journey is inspiring. Keep flying safe and stay dicey🤙🏻

Great review Tucker, head gear and mic so clear glad your enjoying Arizona

@TuickerGott We have electric cars that have been running for hundreds of thousands of miles, battery degradation flattens out at around 80% in lithium ion chemistries. So the 1000 cycles to me seems like a low estimate for battery life.

Thanks Tucker! Looking for you in the skies over CG!!

100% on some of your final thoughts there. I think another thing to mention is that it might not be the greatest yet but battery technology is changing at a fairly rapid pace. You mentioned other PEV's (personal electric vehicles) like surrons and onewheels. EUC's are another one in that segment and the batteries that are used is changing so rapidly that you can have multiple versions of the same wheel that the only real difference is in the cell type used in the battery which can drastically change the capabilities. I wouldn't be surprised if in 5 years, some of that range anxiety that you have right now with a 30 min flight can be alleviated.

You are the best Tucker! Thanks for your great videos! Thanks for getting me into the sport tool. 🙂

I’m in the market for a new paramotor. I seem to have destroyed mine. Great comparison.

Good comparison, thanks!

I'm the sock guy that ordered the risky socks last week! Just got them and they are soooo comfortable. Thank you Tucker!!

Really interesting comparison. Well done! PS. I actually miss your flying over NJ as beautiful as AZ is.

One thing that I noticed was a left out of the equation, at least for me. Is the pollution differential between an electric and a two-stroke. Two-stroke engines are the second most polluting internal combustion engines except for diesel. Having said that I haven’t seen any mention of it by you or any of your followers.… Everybody has their own priorities. Good luck and thanks for the entertainment you give.

Keep in mind that Tucker's battery is discontinued, they no longer make the 3.7kw size. The new ones are 4.8kw, weigh 4 more pounds and so far cost the same. For me the electric paramotor made the difference, I just hope it doesn't cost me a divorce.

Great review tucker 🤙🤙

The plus-minus discussion is really the same with any electric conveyance. The points are identical. My friend went EV, but they do shorter drives alone or with one or two others mainly city with a charge port in their garage. I am still ICE, large vehicle, longer drives with loads or towing, fuel stations everywhere. Each to their own, just let us make our own choices. Good luck to everyone entering the drawing.

Thank You, for all your feedback on electric paramotors. Well done ! 🤓

Damn Tucker is looking stout. I can see you put some muscle on. Great comparison. I am still definitely down to having an electric paramotor in my garage to fly.

Perfect timing

I'd say you've hit the true sweet spot - owning both.

I got my National Forest shirt today. 5 stars. Looks great

_"Can't believe that guy hit me all over."_ - The bug

My opinion would be - there is a time and place for both. Me personally, I like to put my glider on the back rack of my ebike and my e-paramotor on my back and go have some low level forest flying (40mins is plenty). While my gas paramotor I like to take out when I really want to explore and go somewhere further away.

This is very comprehensive, one thing of electric is the ability to just get in and just go... Maintenence is relatively easier

Just getting into the sport, winning this unit would catapult me ahead to getting into the air after the class that starts 25 May.

I think you summed it up perfectly. We're early in the era of electric PPG and the current offerings have some technological hurdles to overcome. Early adoption is just part of the process that moves the technology forward and I think eventually we'll see battery systems improve as time goes on. Maybe photovoltaic gliders will become a thing... In your opinion, is the SP140 a viable motor to train on?

Regarding fire, the most likely scenario for a battery to catch on fire is when it's charging. Very rarely when discharging.

YOU hit the bug my friend! :P

Great series on the gas-electric comparison. I was wondering if there are electric trikes ?

I've been tossing the electric v gas decision up for a couple of years as my first PPG. I'm not quite the group you mention re only getting into the hobby with electric, but it certainly has some appeal for just getting up in the air without the maintenance concerns on a two-stroke. Most of the time, I expect 30 to 45 minutes is plenty for me, although I'd like the option to go further too. Now that OpenPPG has the ICE kit, I'm very much leaning towards the SP140 and then grabbing that and, maybe, a Moster EFI down the track when I'm comfortable enough to start looking at cross-country flights. Are there any concerns you have on the frame relative to comparable ICE setups? I guess put another way, is the SP140 in ICE mode materially worse than dedicated ICE setups?

Love the topo shirt!

What about taking your electic systen and hooking it up to a trike?? Reason I ask is I am Handicapped and cannot run!!??

I'm fairly certain with a ducted fan design and torso bags you could double the flight time~

Hey Tucker, I think when you do another flight when trying to fly as long as possible, you should fly it on chill mode instead of sport mode to see how it handles. That would probably also increase flight time as well in addition to flying with a bigger glider.

Should be interesting when sodium batteries are available next month. They are half the cost and charge in about 10 minutes. The early versions look like they'll have about 80% of the capacity, but I think as manufacturing gets better they'll be as good or better than lithium.

I always fear for your phone when it's in your hand with the brake! Have you ever dropped one in your years of flying? Keep the content coming, Tucker! 😃

The fire risk is less that it catches fire while on your back and more that something goes wrong while it's charging and it burns your house down. Thats been the issue with ebikes and scooters anyway. Hopefully the pack is well designed because high performance lithium batteries are generally very spicy.

I’m going to put my order in when I return from training. I’ve talked to Paul and there are several things back ordered so if I sent my $$$ now it would just sit in his bank instead of mine. Battery tech and life will just get better w time.

The chance a battery will catch fire during flight is really low. For electric cars it is proven to be about 70 times less compared to petrol cars. Change of a battery catching fire is the biggest during charging. A good battery pack with a good charger (not the cheap China made ones) has protection against overheating. So the risk of fire is about zero.

I wonder if air travel will be easier. You can easily check the motor in your luggage on an airplane. The battery may be an issue. But its probably easier to mail a battery than mailing an empty tank with gas fumes.

Is it feasible to fly to some suitable altitude then turn off and fly around with thermals or ridge lift winds for much longer? I read somewhere about PowerPod a 2-stroke paramotor rig with a ducted prop. If somebody, PowerPod or others, could get that working with electric it could mean much longer flying time.

There's some hard limits in battery storage technology that we're not going to magic out of the way to get batteries with the energy density of gasoline. What's more likely is that an alternative energy-dense fuel becomes commonplace enough that we get motors built around that, possibly using direct electrical conversion instead of 2-stroke engines. Hydrogen fuel cells, for instance. We're also a long, long way off from those being good enough for paramotoring, but alternate energy sources, not energy storage, are far more likely to bridge the gap between electric and 2-stroke.

Id love to see you review the Fulcrum PowerPod.. Looks quite interesting.

What would be interesting would be to find some kind of alternative fuel for the paramotor other than gasoline. I doubt you could find anything that would entirely replace gas, but that is an intriguing possibility in any case.

You should try a distance run with the electric - climb, glide, and repeat until you zero out the battery.

I think electric would be a pretty good option for me personally in part because I know basically nothing about 2 stroke engines, let alone have to maintain them. My biggest concern is the weight. I've not actually gotten into the sport yet, but after finding your channel, I really want to. However, I'm only like 5'3" and like 140lbs, so adding 78lbs...I'm not sure how well I would do taking off, let alone landing. But it might not be as bad as I think. I could start exercising. Also, I wish your shirt designs had the graphics on the front instead of the back. I'm often wearing some kind of sweater because I'm always cold, so the back is usually covered up. Otherwise, I love the shirts.

You mentioned fumes from gas motors. Some paramotors use a fuel bladder. I have a Skymax Star, and fumes have never been an issue, both when storing indoors and when transporting in the back of a hatchback vehicle.

I understand they've added an even bigger battery option. With a bigger more efficient wing, flight times over an hour seem reasonable. That weight tho. Esp landing! Be like having a big kid jump on yer back

Tucker can you please tell me what the electric one cost with wing...thank you very much

Did I miss the max output static thrust in pounds for the electric vs gas?

Can you set up a motor break in the ESC to help cut down on the wind milling?

On your one comment about seeing the batterie charge and other functions on your handheld device with the electric paramotor, and not being able to see your gas with a gasoline one. Do you think there would be a way to set up a gas gage connected to your accelerator with the gas paramotor? Just a thought. Might be tricky

If the flight time was similar to gas and the weight was similar to what you described for the electric I would go electric for sure. No maintenance is a huge benefit. But the flight time would need to be longer for me.

1:36 wow I was thinking 4k. They are nuts!

Tucker on electric batteries as the charge depletes the output voltage does. I'm sure there are batteries developed were this doesn't occur.

Your highest fire risk is during charging, in-flight the risk of the battery igniting is very low.

great

Wonder if there is a way to jettison the motor/battery pack in case of fire? A quick release and the motor/battery drops out and away from the parachute.

What are your thoughts on the video of the paramotor crash recently , can you do a video talking about and discussing that and what went wrong?

What do you do with the battery when it's spent? Can it be recycled?

One thing to consider about electric is the current state of battery innovation. There are battery systems in prototype that charge significantly faster and have much higher capacity and weigh less. It’s really exciting to think where this could be in 3-5 years. I predict you’ll put out a new video in the future showing off 2 hour run time on a 50 lbs motor+battery that charges in under 30 minutes!

So for a quarter the weight and cost you can have a hybrid that stays topped off an wont leave you stranded or degrade as quickly. When i see that ill buy one.. or ima jus make one.

Battery chemistry is going to have the greatest impact on whether the battery will catch fire. There is still a great fear from back when overboards where catching fire every other day. But those systems were slapped together with no BMS and no concern for thermal runaway. Moving forward as battery technologies improve, and newer chemistries come out, you will see an increase in battery density, and that will only help in flight time.

As far as the weight tho I heard the sp140 doesn't feel that heavy because the battery weight is closer to your back. Is that true?

If the battery chemistry is lithium Ion plan on 500 cycles & %25 loss of capacity especially above %40 discharge and %100 recharge.

3:22 eat zee bugs. LOL

Most of the noise is from the prop, I imagine the motor itself is pretty quiet. My question is does the speed controller have a sensible Low Voltage Cut-off. What I mean is if you take those cells too low you can stress them and create all kinds of issues. Heat is the real enemy of lithium chemistry cells.

I'd figure the cost of range time. at $2200 for the battery and as you say 1000 rides at 30 minutes per ride which is generous given that maybe for first 500 rides will be 30 minutes but the batteries and rides will decline in time from there. So at best your looking at 500 hours of total range, but really more like 400 or less. That's $4.40 per hour in battery cost, but more like $5.50, which is more than a current cost of a gallon of gas. Plus the $.60 charge cost to come to $5 to $6 per hour battery/charge cost. And I don't see the range improving. Ebikes has stayed the same in the 6 years I've been riding them at around 45 miles. With that said the ease of use and little maintenance, quieter rides and portability are good features.

Generally lithium batteries are only a fire hazard if physically damaged or while charging. Your only going to get a in use fire if the battery/compartment was badly designed, then you get the galaxy note 4. Charging fires are far less likely with modern BMS systems but even still don't charge them unattended and do it on a fireproof surface and your probably fine.

What about a trike with 3 onboard batteries and a switch to go from dead batter to charged in flight? I'll probably never fly, but if I did the trike would be the thing as I'm about 280 and not as athletic as you. But old heavy guys still want to fly!

How much does the 3 blade 140cm prop affect the flight time? Isn't a 2 blade 130cm prop more typical?

Lipo 4 has a very long life. For solar systems as long as you try not to drop under 20% you can cycle 8000 to 10000 times. Those cycle estimates sound very low. Even then at end of life you have still got 80% of its total capacity at a minimum. New technologies in batteries are bringing the cost and weight down. By the time you need a replacement they will be far cheaper. This battery will last longer for people not running it clear down every time..... FWIW My solar system is using $4000 - 320lb batteries so I am keeping up on battery tech..... You could easily set up a solar charging system to refill this thing too....

How confident do you feel about battery catching fire or other electronic issues? Do you feel 100% confident?

Can't wait for the first wing that's also a solar panel! Then you could fly for a few hours, set down, spread out and anchor the wing and let the battery recharge for the next flight.

I want to see an analysis of the RU-vidr who was going for speed and suffered some type of collapse. The video made me rethink wanting to try paramotoring.

Electric would absolutely rock if youbwere flying where you had good updrafts and only needed the prop just to get back into a updraft or for taking off and landing. Im still waiting for the hybrid motor to come along, its gunna happen or at least i hope it does.

With electric paramotors I think I can reasonably get into this sport (I live in a condo and this is probaly my only option) My only issue is that one day I want to fly above the clouds, I was wondering if electric paramotors have enough flight time to do this?

I bet they are at the limits of the thermals of the battery at that KW draw of the motor. Eventually you just have to liquid cool the battery to be able to draw more.

maybe in the near time batteries capacity and durability will significant improve better

you mentioned the maintenance aspect of two strokes but i dont think i heard any mention of in flight two stroke problems? it would seem like the fear of a motor out would go down significantly if not all together flying electric wouldnt it?

Tucker are you going to make a video on the Anthony Vella accident?

I wonder how temperature would play a factor on the battery. Is it as noticeable as a Tesla?

What about the newer big battery? Can you get one to test?

REALLY wish that flight time was like an hour average instead of 30 minutes. That 30 minutes kind of makes a huge difference. Oh, and you should already have my address of where to send the SP140 when I win.

Do they have a regen feature on these electric systems, so when you you cut it, the windmilling can charge the battery?

I need to know are you gonna go to Oshkosh 24 cause I want to meet you there

Greater likelihood of engine failure with the two-stroke gasoline engines vs. electric motors ….. am I correct?

Problems i see now with the battery's is this; what effect climate on performance, what if in hot weather battery goes fast and cold will work slower?

Gas! More power and more reliable, can go farther and most ppl are okay with the noise. 👍👌🙌😎

Can you take a spare battery with you and fly until dead, glide and land. Change battery and set off back. Probably better part of two hours flight time if you are careful with the throttle and only go up gently to 250ft.

I ride an electric unicycle and I'm now interested in the electric paramotor. Battery technology is improving quickly in the electric unicycle world. More power, range, reduced weight, increased safety, etc... All this will translate over.

You need to try the water dunk test with that lithium battery. 😱

U guys insane. I nervous just watching lol

For those of us who dream to start is there a financing option where you can get equipment and training all in one???

You talked about the electric cult, I am probably a part of that because I own a Talaria ( Ebike, same category as a Suron) and youtube recommanded me your video specially because of the Electric Paramotor. I watched a few video and would like one try to try paramotoring.

I'm not comparing to LiFePO4 batteries. They also have an energy density not suited to this application. It'll not be long before we have 500 Wh/kg cell chemistry commercially viable, and eventually 1 kW/kg. Right now sodium ion or LiFePO4 cells are amazing, especially the next generation CATL cells, but again, not suited to the task. If short flights, great safety, and almost unlimited cycling is the goal, then yes, they're great.