Don't know if I believe the claims made by NASA for the benefits of this concept.
"NASA’s aeronautical innovators hope to validate the idea that distributing electric power across a number of motors integrated with an aircraft in this way will result in a five-time reduction in the energy required for a private plane to cruise at 175 mph."
They claim the thinner wing will reduce drag in cruise flight. But it does not seem to come close to offsetting the added drag/weight of the 12 electric propellers that are not used in cruise flight.