by Commercial aviation is struggling to reduce its impact on the climate and is currently not on track to meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. Sustainable aviation fuel is not being produced fast enough and it appears that not much alternatives on the horizon other than fuel starvation. jet engines and turboprops.
One problem is that electrification is not as easy for airplanes as it is for road vehicles, and the consensus in the industry seems to be that battery technology must evolve before electric passenger aircraft can become a reality.
However, Dutch startup Elysian is challenging that assumption with plans for an all-electric regional aircraft, with a range of 500 miles (805 kilometers) and room for 90 passengers, capable of reducing emissions by 90% — which aims to fly commercial within it. ten years.
“Many experts say battery technology is beyond you [anything that will be available until] 2050 to get reasonable range and payload capacity,” says Reynard de Vries, director of design and engineering at Elysian. “But the question we asked ourselves was, ‘how do I get the maximum range for the battery technology we already have?’ Battery-powered electric aircraft can fly much further than most studies claim – if you make the right choices.”
Unusual design
The plane, called E9X, only exists on paper at the moment – Elizabeth plans to build a scale model within two to three years, and a full-scale prototype by 2030. However, its main design features are known already, and they are surprising. “You shouldn’t assume that the (most successful) airplanes today are going to look like an electric airplane,” says de Vries, adding that a common misconception is that electric airplanes should basically be electrified versions of the lightest regional turboprops.
That, he says, would make the range too limited, probably under 60 miles. “What you really have to do is design it from scratch, starting with a blank sheet. What you end up with is a plane that looks much more like the old jets of the 1960s, in weight proportions, for example. An airplane with a very high proportion of batteries and a much lower proportion of structural weight. The result is an aircraft that is much larger and heavier, but can fly much further than previously thought.”
The E9X will have eight propeller engines and a wingspan of nearly 138 feet (42 meters) – more than a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, although both can carry more than twice as many passengers – as well as thinner fuselage, says de Vries. both the structural and aerodynamic characteristics are improved.
This design is the result of a collaboration with the Delft University of Technology, the oldest and largest technical university in the Netherlands, and its principles are explained in a scientific paper entitled “A new perspective on battery-electric aviation,” by de Vries. and Rob Wolleswinkel, co-founder of Elysian, among its authors.
One key principle is that the batteries will be placed in the wings rather than the fuselage. “That’s a critical design choice,” says de Vries. “Batteries are a significant chunk of the airplane’s weight, and what you want to do is put weight where the lift is being generated.”
Battery technology will be similar to what is available today, as well as whatever advances are made in the next four to five years, rather than a radical step up, according to de Vries. “That opens up different scenarios,” he says. “The most conservative puts the useful range at 300 miles (482 kilometers), but we believe a more realistic goal, four years from now, is 500 miles.”
Ready in 45 minutes
Other known design elements include the placement of the landing gear in the wings rather than the body of the plane, wing tips that can fold up to save space and a gas-based “turbine energy backup system” that can provide emergency power to provide i. referral case.
Together, de Vries expects the aircraft’s climate impact to be between 75% and 90% lower than today’s narrowbody jets, even when producing the batteries and the electricity used to recharge them.
The E9X will be designed to fit within the existing airport infrastructure, without the need for any adjustments or upgrades. However, turnaround time can be a challenge due to the need to charge the batteries, which takes more time than filling the tank with fuel. “Our target now is a maximum charging time of 45 minutes, which would give a slightly longer turnaround time than some airlines are used to, especially the low cost operators. But that’s the upper limit — the average time will be about half an hour.”
There are ongoing discussions with airlines around the world, he said, and the plane is likely to attract interest from regional and commuter airlines. According to de Vries, it could benefit secondary airports that are currently underserved due to noise or emissions limits, or because it is uneconomical for airlines to serve them.
Finally, from the passenger’s perspective, he believes the E9X will provide a quieter and more enjoyable flight experience, and aims to solve one of the most pressing issues in today’s travel: the scarcity of cabin luggage space.
The electric age
Gökçin Çınar, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan who is collaborating with de Vries on an upcoming research paper on electrified aircraft design, but has no financial interest in Elysian, points out that the company is not introducing cutting-edge technologies per se instead. reconfiguring existing ones to redefine the aircraft operating paradigm.
“My research over the last decade has supported designing electric planes with operational changes in mind – it would be prudent to use new technology according to outdated conventions,” says Çınar. “While there may be some inconveniences, the potential benefits are significant. Elysian’s approach is promising, but it is only one of many potential applications for electrification in aviation, each with unique operational strategies and technology integration.”
Other companies are working on electric aircraft that would enter service earlier than the E9X, according to their plans. One of them is the British-American ZeroAvia, which has successfully tested a 19-seat plane powered by two hydrogen-electric engines, and aims to put it into service in late 2025.
Israeli-founded Eviation has flight-tested its plane, called Alice – a nine-passenger all-electric commuter plane with a range of 250 knots that the company aims to put into service in 2027.
Finally, the Swedish manufacturer Core Aerospace is working on a 30-passenger plane called ES-30 that would have a range of just 100 knots in an all-electric configuration, but more than 400 when using a combination of electric and conventional engines turboprop; it has only tested a scale model so far, but plans to enter commercial service in 2028.
According to Gary Crichlow, an aviation analyst at consulting firm AviationValues, Elysian faces a tough challenge. “There are over 5,000 aircraft in service today in the E9X size category of 70 to 100 seats,” he says. “Our data shows that these aircraft can remain in service for years. As a result, it is very difficult to overstate the advantage that the established manufacturers have in this market.”
Any new technology, Crichlow explains, will have to present a strong case against a conventional, established fleet. Beyond the technology itself, the infrastructural challenge of providing a steady supply of aircraft, training and parts at scale, and a reliable network of loading facilities, will be enormous.
If Elís can overcome the technological and infrastructure challenges, he said, it will face the commercial challenge of entering a truly competitive market. “A disruptor like Elysian would be welcome, but it’s a very difficult mountain to climb even for an established player to produce and support a product that is commercially viable in the long term,” says Crichlow. “It will require very deep pockets.”
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