Europe is about to have electric planes

Three major European manufacturers, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens, have just announced plans to cooperate in developing hybrid aircraft using gasoline and electricity.

In a project called E-Fan X, the companies said they want to test a partially electric commercial aircraft by 2020. The 100-seat E-Fan X will be based on the BAe146 regional aircraft.

The trio believe they could lay the groundwork for similar electric commercial flights as early as 2025. They will start with a 2-megawatt electric motor as one of the plane’s four engines. If the tests are successful, the second engine will also be replaced with an electric motor.

Model of the E-Fan X aircraft.

“The E-Fan X is the next important step in our plan to make electric flight a reality in the near future,” said Paul Eremenko, Airbus Chief Technology Officer.

Each company will oversee a different aspect of production. Airbus is responsible for integrating the engine with the flight control system. Rolls-Royce develops the engine, the 2-megawatt generator and the electricity. Siemens will provide the power distribution network.

More and more companies are working to develop hybrid engines for the aviation industry. Boeing has also invested in a Washington, D.C.-based aerospace startup, Zunum, to pursue the development of electric and autonomous aircraft.

Zunum aims to build a 10-12 seat electric plane by 2022 and could increase the seat capacity to 50-100 seats by 2030.

It is estimated that there are currently about 70 hybrid aircraft research programs in the world, half of which are currently being carried out by start-up companies.

Commercial aircraft account for about 2% of climate-changing carbon emissions. The airline industry is aiming to reduce carbon emissions by combining technology with biofuels. Fuel is one of the biggest costs for airlines.

According to Khoahoc.tv