Hybrid-electric aircraft – the next step in electrification of mobility
三人宣布在皇家的合作Aeronautical Society in London. The move will bring together the world’s foremost experts in electric propulsion technologies, the companies said during the announcement.
Their plan is developing a hybrid-electric technology demonstrator, the E-Fan X. It is scheduled to fly in 2020 after a comprehensive ground test campaign. As the testbed for the E-Fan X, the companies plan to use a BAe 146 short-haul airliner. In the four-engine aircraft, one of the gas turbines will be replaced by a 2-megawatt electric motor for test purposes. It is planned to replace a second gas turbine with the electric system once the system maturity has proven.
With the E-Fan X, the developers plan to explore the challenges of high-power propulsion systems such as thermal effects, electric thrust management, altitude and dynamic effects on electric systems as well as electromagnetic compatibility issues that might arise in such a configuration. The objective is to push and mature the technology, performance, safety and reliability enabling quick progress on the hybrid electric technology. The program also aims at establishing the requirements for future certification of electrically powered aircraft while training a new generation of designers and engineers to bring hybrid-electric commercial aircraft one step closer to reality.
divided up their tasks. Source: Siemens
As part of the E-Fan X program, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens will each contribute with their extensive experience and know-how in their respective fields of expertise. Airbus will be responsible for overall integration as well as the control architecture of the hybrid-electric propulsion system and batteries, and its integration with flight controls. Rolls Royce will be responsible for the turbo-shaft engine, two megawatt generator, and power electronics. Along with Airbus, Rolls-Royce will also work on the fan adaptation to the existing nacelle and the electric motor.
西门子将传递电动机及其电源电子控制单元，以及逆变器，直流/DC转换器和电源分配系统。这是在2016年推出的空中客车与西门子之间的电子机制系统合作之下，旨在开发和成熟各种电力推进系统组件及其在各种电力类别中的陆地演示。
当今航空部门面临的主要挑战之一是朝着一种改善环境绩效的运输方式迈进，更有效，更依赖化石燃料。合作伙伴致力于实现欧盟委员会2050航空愿景的欧盟技术环境目标（将CO2降低60％，将NOX减少90％，降低噪音减少75％）。这些现有技术无法实现。因此，空中客车，劳斯莱斯和西门子正在对包括电气化在内的不同技术领域进行研究。如今，电力和混合电力推进是应对这些挑战的最有希望的技术之一。
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