French pilot Hugues Duval broke his own speed record for electric aircraft after topping 175 mph.

He made the record-setting flight in the same twin-engine Cri Cri airplane he flew to achieve his previous record of 162 mph in December. He completed the flight during the Paris Air Show after a full week of demonstration flights.

The tiny Cri Cri has a wingspan of a bit more than 16 feet. Powered by a pair of 35-horsepower electric motors and a pair of batteries totaling 3 kilowatt-hours (and 24 kilograms), the electric Cri Cri can fly for about 25 minutes at 65 mph.

With much of the attention in the electric airplane community focused on range rather than speed, speed records are few and far between. But with four successful electric-airplane designs flying in four different countries, the fledgling industry hints back to the early days of aviation when competition drove improvements in all aspects of performance.

The CAFE Green Flight Challenge originally scheduled for later this month has been postponed for later in the summer. The competition is open to both electric and internal-combustion-powered aircraft, though this year everyone expects a strong contingent of electric aircraft. The challenge includes speed and range, with the task to fly a 200-mile course in less than two hours using the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline per occupant.

These aren’t quite the same speeds of the Schneider Trophy, but sure to spur innovation in a similar way. Watch video from French TV of the record-setting flight.

Photo: Electravia