On the Up and Up

The shift towards electrification has already transformed road transport, with electric cars and trucks that were once science fiction now being considered mainstream. Even Rolls-Royce offers a battery electric vehicle in the Spectre. Now, the aviation industry is following suit and a growing roster of companies is pushing the boundaries of electric and hybrid aircraft development.

This pursuit of progress is part of a major global effort that will reach all levels of the aviation sector. According to Tine Tomažič, director of engineering and programs at Pipistrel, a globally recognised aviation company that produces the world’s first and currently only type-certified electric aircraft in the Velis Electro, the International Civil Aviation Organization has clearly set a course towards achieving environmentally sustainable aviation by 2050.

“We should not expect to see one-size-fits-most-missions aircraft concepts, but rather a line-up of urban air mobility, regional air mobility, short/medium haul and long haul-optimised products that are each propelled by the most appropriate clean powertrain option in the near future,” he says.

This reimagining of the aviation sector is also being jump-started with all-important funding. Take Wright Electric and Columbia University, which received a contract from the US Department of Energy to develop ultra-dense aluminium batteries for aviation use. Wright Electric already has experience with this kind of engineering challenge; a noted leader in electrified aviation in the US, its proprietary batteries are designed to be four times more energy dense than the lithium-ion battery packs found in today’s electric passenger cars or commercial vehicles.

Innovation in aviation 

Some electric aircraft designs can already be seen in the skies today. For example, magniX has been at the forefront of electric aviation for the past decade with its pioneering work on the eBeaver, a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver retrofitted with an electric motor. Since 2019, the aircraft has completed 78 test flights, setting the stage for certification.

Based in Everett, Washington, magniX is also working on a hybrid electric system for the de Havilland Dash 7 aircraft as part of NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) project. This $74.3-million endeavour aims to accelerate the adoption of electric technology in commercial aviation by 2030. Crucially, magniX’s partnership with NASA grants it access to the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility at the Glenn Research Center in Ohio. Originally developed during the Apollo program, this testbed allows magniX to simulate high-altitude conditions and experiment with its electric powertrains in a ‘real-world’ environment.

Ben Loxton, VP of Program for magniX’s NASA EPFD project, explains that the goal is to use electric powertrains selectively, such as for taxiing and take-off, before switching to more conventional turbines while cruising at altitude. This hybrid approach can yield fuel savings of up to 40 per cent over a 200-mile mission, he claims.

“We believe regional aviation is where the greatest opportunity lies,” Loxton says. “By using electric powertrains alongside traditional turbines, we can drastically reduce fuel consumption and emissions.”

Meanwhile, Wright Electric is also developing a 2.5-megawatt electric motor for single-aisle aircraft. The company’s Wright Spirit aircraft, based on the British Aerospace 146 platform, aims to replace traditional combustion engines with an electric powertrain capable of flying up to 800 miles with zero emissions. It is targeting short-haul routes such as Seoul to Jeju – the world’s busiest route, with 14 million passengers annually – which could see significant emissions reductions, and it is hoping to have the aircraft in service by 2030.

Change on the horizon 

But electrification in aviation isn’t purely about battery packs and electric motors. There is a general consensus that the industry is still in the early stages of remaking itself around so much unfamiliar hardware and there are more than just technical challenges to tackle.

“Technology is only one piece of the puzzle,” says Tomažič. “Human factors, certification and operational concepts need to evolve alongside engineering advancements.”

Loxton agrees, noting the lack of commonly agreed standards for electric propulsion in aviation. “There’s a tremendous body of knowledge on conventional engines, but little on electric systems,” he says. To reach the same standards and so make electric aviation commercially viable, the industry will need to make time-consuming advances with testing methods, facilities and regulations.

Despite these hurdles, significant progress is being made and there is much to look forward to. Both magniX and Wright Electric are aiming to move beyond the simulation stage and have their aircraft testing in the air by 2026. Pipistrel is also working towards the certification of its latest Panthera aircraft, which will feature hybrid-electric and pure-electric powertrains, and both light aircraft are scheduled to be used for flight training purposes. With luck, these projects and others like them will mean the aviation industry is poised for a transformative shift in the coming years.

“Electric aviation is still on the climb, not yet at cruising altitude,” Loxton summarises wisely.

Image Credit: Getty