Commercial Hybrid Electric Planes To Arrive By 2025
Airbus, Siemens, and Rolls-Royce are working together, investing tens of millions, on developing hybrid plane technology.
Dubbed the E-Fan X program, which began back in 2012, it's credited as being the very first of its kind that is looking to pair an electric engine with 3 jet engines on a BAe 146 aircraft (see image below).
They expect that they will have a demonstration take place sometime by 2020 and the hope is that by 2025 that they will have a commercially-viable application for their technology on the market.
At the moment, multiple firms are aggressively researching hybrid plane technology as industry experts suggest that an entirely electric commercial flight option at this time is not feasible.
Boeing also hopes that they will have a small hybrid-electric commuter plane option to hit the market by 2022.
The low-cost airline known as EasyJet has also ventured into this space, looking to back plans for the development of similar commercial aircraft technology options that will hopefully hit the market within the next 10-20 years. They have been working with Wright Electric for the project, providing a valuable perspective.
They hope that within the next decade or so that they will have a commercial passenger aircraft, powered with the help of electric batteries, that will be able to travel roughly 335 miles and carry around 220 passengers.
Rolls-Royce chief technology officer, Paul Stein, has said that when it comes to the electrification of transportation, he sees aviation as being the last frontier.
Pics:
Pixabay
Wikipedia
giphy
Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42152484
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Aerospace_146
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-aerospace-hybrid/boeing-backed-hybrid-electric-commuter-plane-to-hit-market-in-2022-idUSKBN1CA16A
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41404039
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/11/28/electric-aircraft-near-take-off-rolls-royce-airbus-siemens-team/
Yay! Positive progress! Not an engineer, but I wonder if it would also be possible to combine these electric power sources with solar panels that are incorporated into the plane’s build/design.
good post
That's very exciting news, but have you heard about what UBER is trying to do with flight? It seems it would pair with electric planes very well. Check this out:
"Vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft will bring far-reaching changes to our cities and our lives—quicker daily commutes, less traffic congestion, and cleaner air around the world. Uber Elevate has already started exploring the barriers we’ll need to overcome to make this a reality. Read our white paper to learn more about the future."
https://www.uber.com/info/elevate/
Yes, there are already Drone Copters in Dubai, or they are already testing for it.
I haven't seen any efficiency numbers for a turbo fan at cruising altitude and speed. But, I would assume that it is pretty much near maximum efficiency.
And since that is where a jet engine spends most of its fuel, then a hybrid wouldn't help that much. Not unless they have a much more efficient engine to power the electric motors spinning props.
i like your concept.. its amazing post. i like this
@rabbi18
The prospect is amazingly sweet. I do not envisage such but what do you know? The world is evolving
Lovely Post
great
The technology is incredible. Maybe it's not long before we see the progress. Just waiting a few more years. Very good information from @doitvoluntarily.