Thursday, January 11, 2024
Researchers have developed a way to power passenger aircraft entirely with electricity, which is fueling the competition to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation industry.
The E9X is a brand-new electric aircraft that is designed to transport more people and cover greater distances than previously believed possible. This innovation is the outcome of a partnership between the Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology and aviation startup Elysian.
According to Reynard de Vries, co-founder of Elysian and aerospace engineering researcher at Delft University of Technology, these state-of-the-art aircraft will be able to carry 90 passengers and travel up to 500 miles before needing to stop for refueling.
Jayant Mukhopadhaya is a senior researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Prior to this development, experts in the field thought that battery-electric air travel would be restricted to small aircraft that could only accommodate 20 passengers and travel less than 200 miles without landing.
Since batteries store roughly 50 times less energy per pound than conventional jet fuel, the main obstacle for electric aircraft has been their weight. According to Mukhopadhaya, for instance, a Boeing 737-sized aircraft would need roughly 35 tons of batteries to run.
To address this challenge, Elysian built the E9X on the foundation of first-generation aircraft, which were meant to fly long distances. De Vries claims that a well-designed, large battery-powered passenger aircraft can actually fly farther and faster than a small electric aircraft.
The E9X has a much larger wing than a conventional aircraft in order to carry the required amount of battery capacity. Aerodynamic efficiency and compatibility with current gate infrastructure are ensured by this design and the addition of folding wing tips.
Though there are already some smaller battery-powered aircraft on the market, expanding the use of this technology to larger aircraft is essential to carrying high passenger counts and keeping costs competitive with other modes of transportation. Despite not disclosing the cost of construction or operation, Elysian expects these planes to be in service by 2033.
Electric aircraft may not have as much of an impact as other aircraft in lowering carbon emissions from air travel. Only about 1% of all air travel emissions could be reduced by electrifying flights shorter than 500 miles.
[Image Source: ABC News]
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Sunday, April 28, 2024
