ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT
www.electrichybridvehicletechnology.com // July 2019 // 103
Airbus is working on a variety of electric aircraft
projects, including electric vertical takeoff and
landing (eVTOL) demonstrators, both of which
are now being fl ight tested. Its US-based Airbus
project Vahana has so far developed a singleseat
demonstrator which began fl ight testing in January
2018. This May saw the fi rst fl ight of the CityAirbus,
a four-seat air taxi. But the most important of its projects
is to develop a hybrid electric propulsion system suitable
for use in a 100-seat aircraft by the 2030s.
“Our E-Aircraft Systems Test House is due to enter
service this year and shows our commitment to bringing
this technology to commercial aviation,” says Glenn
Llewellyn, general manager, electrifi cation, at Airbus.
“It will be capable of testing electric propulsion systems
up to 20MW, the equivalent of one A320 engine.”
The testing facility in Ottobrun, Germany, is 4,500m2
in size and will be able to test electrical systems, batteries,
power distribution, electricity generation and gas turbines.
United Technologies Project
804 X-Plane aims to show that
a hybrid aircraft can bring fuel
savings of up to 30% compared
to current generation aircraft
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